Artemis Fowl: Crushed between Revenges
by VampyZombie
Summary: After AF5, Artemis heads off along with the gang to a summer trip, where he meets new people, along with a new person that makes him nervous, his heart beating fast... but the trace of an old enemy tracks them down, vowing revenge... Please read it!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my first... well, second fanfic I work on, and I hope you all enjoy it, especially since it's the work of a beginner. Do enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN ARTEMIS FOWL!! (c) Eoin Colfer**

**Chapter 1: New Reunions**

**A continuation of **_**The Lost Colony **_**(Or so my mind says)**

**Saint Bartleby's School Gym, Ireland **

If you didn´t know Artemis Fowl, then you'd think he was probably here to watch a girls' volleyball game with the Butlers, Minerva Paradizo and another unknown teen, but if you did, then you'd know that if he came to watch something that didn't interest him, especially sports, then something was up. That something was a nine-day trip to Cancún, Mexico, with the whole trip paid. Of course, Artemis could have paid for it himself, but Juliet insisted that he'd 'relax' and forget about his plans for a while, if a while could be counted as three long years.

"Seriously Butler," He groaned, bored. "Do we really have to go on this trip?"

"I did not enter the contest, Juliet did."

Two months previously, Juliet, who had a nice vacation after the Mexican wrestling tour for a month, had seen and advertisement on the _Irish Times _which said that you could win a free trip for six to Cancun to one of its most exclusive hotels, _Templo del Zafiro_ if you completed the phrase: _Kiss me, I'm Irish_, and of course, the difficult part, translating it into at least five languages. For this, Juliet had to make Artemis translate it into Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and German, which he did grudgingly, due to the fact that Artemis was in the middle of his plans, more accurately, meditating, and he obviously didn't like being disturbed when in process because he lost his train of thought, but the main reason he did it was because he knew how harsh Juliet's temper can be, and he didn't like messing with that. Of course, Juliet won the contest, but she didn't know who she would take, so she made Butler and Artemis go with her (made was a gentle term as forced would've been more appropiate.), and invited Minerva Paradizo, Gregory Paradizo, Minerva's cousin, and Alison Gallegos, Minerva's friend from Spain who happened to be playing in the volleyball game, about to serve.

Minerva, who happened to be seated next to Artemis, heard him. "Artemis, you could be nice and appreciate that you're going to one of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico, and if it makes you happy, the game is almost over."

"You said that about twenty minutes ago, and it's still not over!" Artemis hissed.

"Yes, well, sorry about that, but it happens that I don't play for my school team!" Minerva retorted.

"Nevertheless, but this trip better relax me. No more trouble for me."

Butler nodded, then he went back to looking around when he noticed that Juliet wasn't with him. He turned to look at Minerva.

"Minerva, where is Juliet?" He said, still looking around as though she might pop out from some unexpected area, a thing she had been doing lately since the day she came back.

Instead of Minerva answering, it was Artemis who answered. " She's on the first row. She said that she prefers to watch the game from up close than being in the last row. She doesn't seem afraid of being hit."

"Minerva," Butler said, looking relieved and letting out a great sigh he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Sorry to ask you this, but who's the boy next to you again?"

Minerva sighed and fixed her glasses. "This is Gregory Paradizo, my American cousin, he came to visit the family for a few weeks, and once the trip to Cancún is over, he goes back home, right Greg?" She turned to look at him.

Gregory, a fourteen-year-old boy of about five foot four, with stunning dark-green eyes and dirty blond hair, nodded. The family resemblence was obvious. For a moment, he seemed to have smiled a small smile when he saw Butler, but he went back to watching the game, with seriousness painted on his face.

"Anything wrong, Greg?" Butler asked, eyeing him carefully, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Greg responded, not looking at him.

"What part of the United States do you come from, Gregory?" Artemis asked, looking at him with a smug look on his face.

"St. Louis, Missouri."

"I presume that where the famous Arch resides?" The Irish boy commented.

"Uh-huh." It was all Greg could say to such a simple question.

There was an icy silence between Artemis and Greg, and for five long minutes no one said a word, not until Juliet came running toward them, almost running over people who were still sitting, and she had a bright look on her face.

"Ali's team won! How exciting!" Juliet yelled.

"Ali?" Artemis wondered. "Who is she?"

"You know, Alison, Minerva's friend, but everyone calls her Ali for short."

"So its over, right?" Butler asked, looking relieved.

"Yes..." Juliet noticed something. "Why so relieved looking, big brother?"

Butler didn´t answer, and of course he wouldn´t answer. Next to hotels, being in a gym was a bodyguard´s worst nightmare because there were so many people , and the exit routes happened to be far away from where Artemis and Co. happened to be. And besides, what if one of those smiling teenagers holding hands, sitting in front of Butler had a gun insides his or her pockets? You never know.

"Let us all go then." Artemis said, rising to his feet wearing a satisfied smile.

"Ali and I are going to meet you at the school entrance. She has to go change and get her things," Minerva repiled, also standing to her feet, starting to walk away. "So I'll see you then." Minerva waved at them and left, following a group of young people.

When she dissapeared, Juliet looked at the teenage boys and Butler. "You know, I´m just going to go with Minerva and meet you guys at the entrance."

Juliet left, trailing behind a pair of 9th grade girls from the nearby public school, leaving the 3 males to look at each other quietly in the noisy room.

Butler looked uncomfortably at Artemis, who was checking his manicured nails and rolling his eyes, and then at Greg, who had his hands inside his pockets, looking around with those stunning dark green eyes. Butler knew that Artemis didn't hang out with the boys in his class, not that the boys had tried, but Artemis simply refused them, but Butler thought that this was too much, so he decided to break the silence and give it a go.

"So, are you two the same age? 14?" Butler asked casually, not looking at the two boys.

It was Gregory who responded, looking at Butler for the first time straight in the eyes and noticing his height. Butler had that effect on most sane people. He winced for a second, but decided that he didn't mind as much. "I suppose, I was born in October, and I'm fourteen."

"I was born in September and I'm also _fourteen_ as you very well know Butler." Artemis answereda look of knowledge on his face, his eyes traveling towards Greg and back to Butler. Actually, he should be seventeen because of the three missing years. Butler nodded.

"Well... any sports you do Greg?" Butler asked, giving communication another shot.

"Yeah, I'm on the school's basketball and football team, but for now, I'm on vacation apparently."

Butler was surprised. Even Artemis himself was surprised. This was the first full sentence Greg had said all night, and even though Artemis had just met him on that very same day, he could tell that Greg didn´t talk alot, let alone he wouldn´t be surprised if Greg was shy.

"I think we all should get going," Artemis concluded, ending the uncomfortable conversation between the three of them. "We´ve been here for a while and I wouldn´t be surprised if the girls are waiting for us when we are supposed to wait for them..." Artemis chuckled at his own joke, but when he remembered where he was, and who he was with, he regained his usual serious composure, hoping nobody heard him. Interesting in fact, that joke was. Artemis wasn't acostumed to telling girl jokes, especially when he wasn't around girls often.

And they left, Butler leading the way while Artemis and Greg trailed behind, not talking to each other. It took them at least five minutes to get across a crowd of adults and teenagers who were equally excited like Juliet had been a few minutes earlier. When they managed to cross the sea of people, they made it for the main hall, and at the entrance they saw Juliet, Minerva and a girl with black-brown hair that seemed to get to the length between her chest and shoulders, which was held in a messy bun, and she had dark brown eyes which had a sparkle in them, straight teeth, and her skin seemed to glow a really light tan.

Artemis couldn't help noticing this girl's beauty, those features, and especially those eyes which seemed to hypnotize not only him, but some other onlooking boys who turned to stare at her. _So this was the famous Alison Gallegos_, Artemis thought as he walked closer to the group. It still surprised him how powerful puberty was, first noticing Minerva, and how he had gotten nervous to see her after his absence, and even more when Butler had told him she was quite a beauty, and indeed she was, and the Irish boy was still stunned by it. But this Alison girl was different. This new person had the ability to make Artemis not only appreciate her pretty face and the dazzling smile, but what seemed to be the toughness and proudness he perceived from those fiery eyes. Artemis couldn't stop looking at her.

"So you're the amazing Artemis Fowl, right? Minerva talks alot about you." The girl named Alison said, smiling at the Irish boy, holding her hand up. He blushed a bit.

"Yes, pleased to meet you finally." Artemis responded, taking her hand and shaking it. "Minerva talked about you also. Before this trip, of course."

Alison smiled and then she saw Greg walking behind Artemis. "Hey Greg, I didn't know you were coming!"

Greg looked at her straight in the eyes and gave her a small smile and a a nod.

"You know him?" Artemis questioned, raising an eyebrow. Gregory nodded and Alison beamed.

"Yeah, we've known each other since we were twelve, and besides, we went to the same school for a while. It's great! So," She looked at everyone else. "Are we ready to leave?"

"Yes, so everyone out of this building and get on the Bentley. And that's an order." Butler said firmly, ushering the teenagers out of the school.

And they did, but quickly because none of them wanted to experience what would happen if they didn't obey Butler's order.

**What do you think so far? I realize this chappie is rather short, but making you get acquainted with the new characters would take a while, so to the point, some of these people do exist, and don't worry, you'll get to know them a bit more throughout the story.**

**Please Rate and Review! It would really help!!**

**I'll get the next chappie out as soon as I figure out how to get a new chapter out! (Yes, I am new on this, so my knowledge is limited.) So if I hear complains of why it's taking so long, now you all know why. **


	2. Chapter 2: Happy fights or not

**Here it is for those who read the first chapter of my fanfiction: Chapter 2. Enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS © Eoin Colfer**

**I DON'T OWN**** RBD OR THE SONGS AND LYRICS © Televisa and EMI Music Mexico**

**Chapter 2: Happy fights... or not**

**En route from St. Batleby's to Dublin Airport**

"So," Juliet said turning around at the passenger area to look at the teens. "Has anyone ever been to Cancún? Or Mexico at least?"

The fourteen-year-old teenagers shook their heads, except Ali, who happened to be sitting between Artemis and Greg.

"Last time I went to Mexico was probably last year's spring to visit my relatives, and then I went back to Missouri," She commented. "But I've never been to Cancún."

"Oh, I thought you were from Spain..." Juliet wondered out loud, her voice trailing off.

"Well, no I'm an American citizen born from Mexican parents, but I happened to be in Spain because because of what I'm doing. Just me. My parents are in Mexico with the whole family. We used to live in the States, though."

"So that's why you know Greg!" Juliet said triumphantly pointing a finger at the surprised American boy, almost poking his eye.

"Yeah, watch it!" Greg said, wide-eyed.

"Yep, I went to the same school with him during the seventh and eighth grade, but not high school, though." Her voice seemed to have lowered for a second, but a grin reappeared on her lips.

"But why are you here, then?" She asked.

"International volleyball tournament. I'm representing Mexico with my pals, and we beat Spain during our last match, which is why I came from over there."

"And you beat Ireland," Artemis said, smiling at her. "A sad defeat for our Irish girls."

She laughed. "Sorry, but I have no idea if I should feel sorry because they lost, or happy because we won."

Artemis wanted to say that he didn't know if he should be feeling sorry for traveling to Mexico when he really didn't feel like traveling or happy because he met her... Wait, happy that I met her? Artemis thought. I don't even know her. This feeling was something new to him. They continued with the questioning.

"Why do you know Minerva?" Artemis wondered out loud, looking at his side.

It was Minerva who answered. "She beat my school team. Though I'll be honest: We would've won if they hadn't removed Isellé because of her broken wrist."

"But that Victoria and Anna were really good that night! It was a close one!"

"As in Victoria Bonésy and Anna de Pois?" She asked, and Ali nodded. "I know, they're really good!"

"Minerva, Alison, as much as I'd like to hear about your competition, we can't, so let's get on with this." Artemis said, slowly realizing what he said. That was not supposed to slip from his lips, because it sounded like he wanted the interrogation to go on.

"What part of Mexico are you from?" Juliet asked yet again.

"Mexico City."

"Mexico City, the biggest city in the world," Artemis said, with a satisfied smile on his face, moving the intriguing thought aside. "The Federal District reaches to almost twenty million people, and according to research, the population will increase in another ten years."

Alison smiled at him, looking into his deep-blue eyes. "You seem to know alot about the country..."

"Perhaps I can tell you more if you want?" Artemis asked.

Ali opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Juliet blurted out, looking at Artemis, who raised his eyebrows.

"Why not Juliet?" Artemis asked, wearing an expression between pleasure and annoyance.

Minerva joined the conversation and said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you don't know the limits of your intelligence. Knowing you, you would start with the country's history, and then start with a related country's history. Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

"Yes, but look who's talking too: another genius." Artemis said with a sarcastic tone.

"Yes, but who's more obvious and a show-off about that?"

He tried to think up a snide remark to get her back, but no brainwave came. "Alright then, I get the point," Artemis said, sitting back into his seat.

For a moment, Artemis was taken aback by how this innocent conversation turned out to end, but he remembered that it was only the second time in his life, the first time when he was ten. For a while there was silence yet again, and everyone was looking out the window, admiring the bright stars and the mounts of Ireland, submerged into their own thoughts. After ten minutes, Juliet was brave enough to keep a conversation alive.

"Hey Greg, you haven't said anything for a while." Juliet said, still eager for conversation.

Gregory shrugged, still looking out the window.

"Wow, is he always this quiet?" Juliet said, rounding at Minerva who was next to him.

"Don't ask me, ask Alison. She's the one that goes to school with him. To be honest, I don't know much about him, and he's my cousin!"

"Well?" Juliet rounded at Ali, who looked tired.

"Yeah, he's usually quiet, but we all love him. Quite a special guy."

Greg looked at her for a moment and then he grinned.

"Butler, are we almost there?" Artemis said loudly, drowning everyone's voices careful to not notice everyone's eyes staring at him, surprised. Especially Butler. He knew Artemis didn't ask casual questions, so he knew something was afoot. That _something_ might be a girl. A certain new person Artemis had just met. Butler began to wonder how come the young Irish teen had good tastes when it came to girls.

"Yes, here we are." Butler pulled over, and then he parked the car and turned to look at the passengers. "Alright people, here's the plan, we are boarding on the Fowl's Lear Jet instead of taking the flight we were supposed to take. All clear?"

"Wait!" Minerva turned to look at Artemis, who was unbuckling himself. "How did you manage to change the pilot's mind by telling him that we're taking you Jet instead of that flight?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Artemis responded, looking innocent, a bemused smile forming on his thin lips. All he did was tell Butler to pay a visit to the airport and tell them that they'd be taking the Fowl Jet instead of the flight paid by _The Irish Times_ . All on Artemis's orders. Simple.

Usually, Butler would open Artemis's door for him, but the next thing was just surprising for eveyone, even Butler. Artemis opened the door himself, got out and looking at Alison, he said smiling "After you." Alison was dumbfounded, because she had never met a gentlemen in her life, except one of her best friends, Joseph, but that was another story. Alison was getting out when she noticed that Artemis's hand was right in front of her. Artemis was offering her some help to get out. Most unusual for him. She took it and gave him a smile and thanked him.

Artemis couldn't explain what had just happened. It just dawned on his mind that it was the first time he offered a female his age some help, and besides, it couldn't be difficult getting out of a lousy car, or so Artemis thought, and then again, he was becoming quite nice, but with a girl he had just met? please, he can be nice to anyone, well, _almost _anyone, he can be nice to Juliet, nice with mother, with Holly... but this wasn't like him, and somehow, for the first time, he didn't know why this was happening to him. His brain wasn't giving him logical explanations this time. It was something new to him.

Artemis closed the door, and waited next to Alison for the rest of the people to get out. Once they were all out with bags and other things, Juliet was the first to say something of what had just happened.

"Hey, Artemis!" She said sarcastically, about to burst into a fit of giggles and holding her stomach,as if it were about to jump out of its place. "You could've been nice and opened my door too!"

And so she burst into laughter, while Minerva and Greg tried to hold their laughter in them, their faces almost red. Butler acted proffesionally, but the sight of Juliet laughing so hard and Artemis looking like he wished that he could be anywhere but here, with a slight pink tinge in his pale cheeks, and with Alison's staring at the galaxy above her, wanted to make the bodyguard laugh but instead, he glanced at Artemis, and nodded as if saying _'You did the right thing' _or _ 'Well, that's something new'_ but he smiled all the same.

Artemis, ignoring the everyone's stare, especially Ali's, who was right next to him and still looking above, decided to lead the way, which at least wasn't surprising because he was a natural leader. When they caught on with the Jet, the doors automatically flew open with a push of a button that the giant Eurasian manservant had pressed. As they neared the stairs of the Jet, something hard bumped, no, _ran_ into Artemis, almost making him trip, but he was lucky (A/N: He's Irish!), because at the point of impact, he managed to turn around, only to see that Alison's face was only two inches away from his, and without noticing, his arms flew around her waist, while her arms where around his neck. Apparently she was about to trip, but she managed to hold on to Artemis, and strangely, Artemis held on to her, preventing themselves from falling and injuring themselves, and even though they were safe, it didn't explain why they were still holding on to each other for longer than ten seconds.

The fourteen-year-old Irish teenager tried to avoid her dark, brown eyes, but the sight of her pink lips moving made Artemis get lost for a moment when he remembered where he was.

"...I said, are you okay?" Ali said trying to look into the boy's eyes, as if searching for an answer, her arms lifting away from his neck.

"Yes, I'm alright," He glanced into her eyes, " What happened?"

"Apparently somebody pushed me hard enough to run into you," She answered, her eyes dancing with fire. She was blushing for some reason.

Artemis looked behind her, and saw Juliet and Minerva giggling, while Greg looked impatient, rolling his eyes. "I think I know who it was," a smirk was forming on his face.

"Yeah well..." She paused. "Can you let go of me now?"

Artemis regained consciousness, and saw that he was still holding on to her waist tightly, and he apparently hadn't felt when her arms leaved his neck.

"Sorry," Artemis added sheepishly, wondering if more things like this could occur to him in one night.

"It's alright," She said, waving his apology away. "It was pretty much my fault, but at least we're not hurt."

"Hey people!" Juliet said, an amused smile on her face, eyeing Ali and Artemis carefully. "We have a plane to catch! And can't you see I'm ready for some sun?"

And she indeed was ready. She might have been carrying some luggage, but she was holding on to some sunscreen, while she was sporting some glittery sunglasses around her eyes. But the most noticable thing that could've proven that she was ready were the flip-flops she was wearing, which didn't match with her jazzed-up black uniform.

"Yes, I can see you're ready Juliet," Artemis sighed, while closing his eyes. In his whole life, Artemis had never seen or lived a hilarious moment, but seeing Juliet like this belonged to those times.

"Alright people, hop on board," Artemis said, opening his eyes, a moment later after putting this moment in his memories, but it wasn't Juliet's Can't-you-see-I'm-ready-for-some-sun moment. "So, Butler, mind piloting the Jet?"

They had boarded the jet about two hours ago, and most of them were already asleep, except Artemis, who was sitting crossed-legged, in a lotus position, with a bottle of Irish springwater in his right hand, while the other supported his head. He was deep in thought again.

There was a full moon that bathed them in the darkness, but it shone over Artemis brightly. He sighed and looked at the person sitting next to him. It was Alison. He chose to sit next to her for reasons he couldn't fathom. He turned to face his window and saw the constelation of Leo, and a thought came to his mind. She said she was born in August, so it meant she was born under that sign, and then he found his constellation, Virgo, next to hers. He looked at Alison again and smiled. He suddenly realized that he couldn't stop looking at her, so he turned to watch the stars again, but he noticed that she was in his thoughts. Strange.

He shook himself gently and he tried to close his eyes, but the next moment, he felt Alison stir and move in her seat until her head ended up being supported by his shoulder. Artemis moved slowly and rearranged himself, being careful not to wake her up, and he gently held her until she was cushioned in his chest. She did not wake up, but seemed comfortable and peaceful. Artemis gave a small smile, and he closed his eyes.

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" A voice said.

Artemis opened his eyes wide open and saw Juliet's face up close. She looked at him in an interested way, her face bright with glee.

"What?" Artemis said, yawning.

"No, _who_..." Minerva said, smiling at him in a teasingly way, but at the same time, looked gruntled.

"What are you two talking about?" Artemis asked again eyeing them in an annoyed way. He didn't like the idea of being annoyed already at this time of the morning.

None of them said a word, but the direction of their eyes pointed to their answer.

Artemis looked down his chest and saw Ali still cushioned in his chest, about to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked up at Artemis, who was looking at her. Both of them sat up straight.

"I- sorry 'bout that."

"No, it's alright, we were all tired." Artemis gave her a small smile. "What time is it?"

"Five in the morning in Ireland, eleven o'clock in the morning in Mexico City," Greg said, checking his watch, already wide awake.

"No way! That late already?" Artemis was instantly appalled with himself. He had never woken up late in his life, the latest half past eight in the morning, once when he was just eleven.

Again, everyone was surprised because it was another full sentence. Greg seemed to have read everyone's mind because the next thing he said was just as unexpected as anything he would've ever said.

"What?" He said, shrugging. "I may be quiet, but not all the time. If I want to talk, I can talk, and just now I felt like saying something. It's not a crime."

Everyone still looked at him wide-eyed till he gave everyone a small smile as if he were about to burst out laughing, but the smile dissapeared in a wink of an eye and looked into the sea-blue sky.

"Butler says we're here!" Juliet said, bursting out of the pilot's cabin, who left while everyone was talking to Greg. "I'm so excited!"

"I am so excited too..." Artemis said sarcastically, sitting back in his seat. He looked at Alison, smiled at her, and she smiled back for a while until she looked into the window, staring at the deep blue sea, looking like a curious five-year-old girl. Some things helped you to get your morning brighter than the sun.

"Some man by the name of Alfonso is supposed to come and take us to Hotel Paraiso del Mar, supposedly one of the best hotels in Cancún." Butler said, checking his Rado watch. They were all outside the entrance of the airport in Cancún, waiting for their driver.

And as if on cue, a white limousine came around a corner, and once the fancy car was in front of them, the group got in and started to admire the beauties of the paradise, Cancún.

"Welcome to Cancún, México." The man said, his eyes on the road. "My name is Alfonso and I will be taking you to your final destination. Any questions you have, and I will be delighted to answer."

Juliet couldn't help asking a question to the driver.

"Exactly how hot does it get here?"

Instead of the driver answering, it was Artemis who did.

"Since summer has just started, it will get to the high eighties, or maybe, high ninghties in the Fahrenheit scale."

"Sweet!" Juliet exclaimed.

"Any hurracanes at the moment?" Minerva asked. "I haven't been able to keep track of this continent."

"Well-" Alfonso began.

Artemis cut in again. "Right now we're not in the hurricane season, but it should start by the end of August approximately."

"Uh, thanks." Minerva said uncertainly.

Again there was silence, but it wasn't an icy silence because everyone seemed too busy admiring the deep-blue sea around the highway. After twenty minutes, Alfonso spoke, but rather quickly because he seemed afraid of being interrupted by the pale boy. He'd seen horror movies, but this boy just gave him the creeps with that hypnotic look.

"Yes, we're here." He said, looking at them, sounding relieved.

Everyone looked at the hotel. It was rather luxurious, and seemed to be bigger than the Kronski Hotel in Germany, where Artemis had stayed once. Just once. No point go back there, he thought, not if I can help it.

Alfonso helped them with their luggage, and told them to check in at the front desk.

"Enjoy your stay." He said finally, bowing and walking away.

Artemis nodded and started his way toward the front desk, where a young lady with black hair was reading a book.

"Excuse me, miss?" Artemis said in Spanish.

The young woman looked up from her book, and saw who she was talking to. At first she thought she was looking at a vampire in a black designer suit, but when she looked closer she noticed that it was just a great-looking (A/N:In her opinion and mine too.) pale teenager. Since that day she has never seen any vampire movies. But the person next to the pale boy almost made her faint. She had never seen such a tall man, almost seven feet tall, and besides, he looked like he could kill anything easily with those enormous mammoth hands.

"Y-yes?" She asked, eyeing Butler.

"We're here because we are the winners from the contest you had administered some weeks ago in Ireland..." Artemis said with some authority in his voice, looking at the young woman.

"Oh, yes, yes, I remember," She said, consulting her computer. "I take you're Mr. Fowl, am I right?"

"Yes you are, and it's Master Fowl." The young boy said, correcting her.

"Oh, so sorry about that." She answered, and she indeed did look sorry, sorry to have the fortune of meeting the huge Eurasian man.

"Yes, we were told that you booked two rooms for six people, right?" Artemis sighed, loosing his patience.

"Uh-huh, two rooms with three king size beds each. Imperial Suite if I may guess... yeah, it is. Alright, here's your room number and your keys. Enjoy you stay at _Templo del Zafiro._"

"Thank you madame." Artemis responded, taking the keys from her hands. "I'll try to enjoy it as much as I possibly can." And walked swiftly away, the others behind his wake.

"What rooms do we have?" Greg asked, looking over Artemis's shoulder.

"Rooms 310 and 311. And please don't breathe on my neck, it's rather uncomfortable."

Greg retreated and then he looked at Butler. For a moment they didn't do anything until both of them rolled their eyes at the same time.

"So _sorry, Master Fowl_..." Greg answered sarcastically.

Artemis wanted to retort, never taking cheeks from anyone, but surpringly he didn't find any witty come-backs at his disposition. What was going on?

"Alright people," Butler said in a thunderous voice. "This is how we're doing it: Boys, room 310, girls, 311."

"Why separated from gender, Butler?" Artemis asked, looking confused for a second, and just a second because Artemis couldn't afford being confused. Then he understood.

"Isn't it obvious Arty?" Juliet said, looking surprised. "You're a boy, and those two are young girls. You're all going through puberty, and things would happen if Butler and I weren't here to check on you..."

Artemis's expression froze. He didn't want to think of the 'things' that could happen if he were alone with a girl his age in a room... probably he would tire that girl with his sermons of why he couldn't stand being in a confined space even if he wasn't claustrophobic.

"Okay Juliet, we might be crazy, but we're not that crazy to do whatever you have in mind." Alison said, looking throughly surprised.

"Yeah, sorry, but it was kinda' funny looking at your expressions!" Juliet said as they neared an elevator. "And I meant that we might find our first couple among us..." She looked at Artemis, and then at Ali.

"A _couple_ among us? Oh yes, that's very funny," Artemis rolled his eyes, his voice rising slowly, pressing his index finger on the 'open' button.

"Juliet does have a point, it was funny the way you looked." Minerva said, half crazed with laughter, her glasses almost askew.

"Just shut up!" Gregory said, almost yelling.

"I agree with Greg, now get in there." Butler said, pushing everyone, including his sister, into the elevator. The elevators might be big, but there was barely any space to move around freely, thanks to Butler massive form, but thank God there was enough room to fit six people.

The next thing Artemis felt was the weigh of five people, who pushed him all the way to the corner. He could barely breathe, and he couldn't even move his pinky finger. Next thing he saw was Greg and Ali sqashed together in front of him by Minerva and Juliet, who were being pushed back by Butler's broad body.

"I'm comfortable!" Ali said sarcastically to Greg, who was actually chuckling.

"Remember that time the teacher told you and the rest of the guys to move the chairs and you got stuck with us in an elevator?" Greg asked, his face grinning.

"It was desperate: five guys, one girl, dozens of chairs, a dream come true." She replied, laughing at this memory.

Artemis didn't know why, but the sight of both of them laughing together made him feel like he was being ignored. What? He thought. What is going on with me? This thought took over Artemis's mind for a minute, until they arrived at the fifteenth floor. It took them a while to get out, and none wanted to experience the fear of being squished ever again.

They took a right, and then they arrived at the rooms 310 and 311. Artemis took the keys from his breast pocket and gave the correspondent keys to their owners, and the people went to their own rooms.

As Artemis went inside, he couldn't help notice how big and luxurious the room was. It had three king-sized beds, a sixty-inch plasma tv, a small kitchen with a mini fridge, an enourmous table in the middle of the room, and a jacuzzi. Near the beds there was a balcony, which provided a beautiful sight of the beach and the pools on the first floor.

"We got some lovely views from here, Butler." Artemis said as he walked toward the balcony. He opened the door and went out in the balcony, and for a moment he let the warm Mexican breeze take over him, and then he took a glance at the blue sea, which was bluer than his own deep blue eyes. He always knew that the sea was vast, but he never thought that it would be this vast. It certainly was a beautiful sight to behold. He glanced at his right, and saw the three girls smiling. Apparently none of them had ever seen such a pretty sight. The three young girls turned to look at him, and they were smiling at him.

"Hey Arty," Juliet yelled across the balcony. "Tell Butler we're going swimming in the pool down there!" She pointed at the pool Artemis had seen minutes earlier.

"We'll see you down there won't we?" Minerva asked, looking hopeful.

"Maybe," Artemis shrugged. "But I'm not in the mood to swim, or to get wet."

"Suit yourself." Juliet pouted going inside while the other two followed.

Artemis decided to go back inside too. He saw Butler unpacking some thing from his bag. Artemis could imagine what kind of things they were. Probably dangerous things. He looked around and saw Greg leaning against the wall, looking as if he were waiting for something.

"Butler," Artemis began. "Juliet, Alison, and Minerva are going swimming on the first floor. Juliet told me to tell you."

"Great, because we're going down there too." Butler retorted.

"Wait, what?" Artemis said, taken aback.

"That's why Greg's waiting for me. We're swimming."

"Well, I'm not!" Artemis argued. "Butler, tell me you're joking."

"No he's not," Greg responded.

"Suit yourself. But just remember that I'm not supposed to leave you since I'm your... _guardian_." Butler said, turning away from his young charge, carrying a duffel bag.

Artemis fumed while he saw his bodyguard and Greg walk away, leaving him alone in his room. Firstly, Butler had just left Artemis, something he wouldn't do, bodyguard or not, and instantly understood that this was the only way he would down with him, and second of all, he didn't like swimming, due to the fact that the last time he swam he was nearly killed by a pack of trolls at the Temple of Artemis exhibition in the underground a few _years _ago. But then again, he was here for some relaxation, so he decided to follow them, but he wasn't getting wet.

The fourteen-year-old met up with the rest of the group, who were already wet. The teenage girls were sitting at the corner of the pool, their feet touching the water, giggling about something. When they saw Artemis, the three of them giggled harder and looked at Ali who seemed to be blushing. Artemis rolled his eyes and ignored them, wondering why on earth they were laughing at him (perhaps the thought that he was wearing his designer suit.) when he saw Butler and Greg sitting in the aquatic bar, which was right in the middle of the pool, drinking some soda, deep in conversation. Artemis stood at the corner of the pool, wondering how he would get to Butler.

"...Which is why I enjoyed being a bodyguard." Artemis read Butler's lips to reply to Greg, who listened carefully, taking a sip from some Sundrop and looking throughly bored.

"It still seems boring." Greg responded, shaking his head. "All I want is a job that gives me tons of money."

"So you decide to come," The Eurasian man said politely but loudly, who saw him and turned to him. "So, uh, were's your swimming stuff?"

"What?" Artemis said uncertainly.

"Where's your trunks?"

"I said I'm not swimming!" Artemis shouted, and several onlookers turned to look at him, most of them girls who looked pleasantly surprised. Artemis ignored them, hoping he didn't look ridiculous.

"Yes, and that's the only way you're getting here." Butler turned to talk to Greg, who seemed to be mildly enjoying this.

Artemis decided that he didn't care if he ruined his black Armani suit, so he carefully got in the water, gasping because he couldn't quite believe what he was doing, or why he was doing it. Slowly, he swam towards Butler, who seemed to be laughing behind his drink, but hid it very well. As Artemis neared them, he saw many people looking at him, whispering behind his back, while some other teenage boys laughed at him. Artemis would never forget this.

"That was not enjoyable." Artemis said coldly at Butler and Greg, who tried to hide their laughters, but couldn't, so their laughter exploded like a bomb.

"Who said life was enjoyable?" Butler said, recovering from this moment.

"Oh yes, I'll always live it up!" Artemis said, his witty sarcasm back.

And if things could get desperate for Artemis, the three girls arrived at his side, giggling harder than they had ever had.

"No offense Artemis, but that was hilarious!" Ali said, laughing. "Way more than the time I slipped on ice at school for playing basketball!"

"You and the rest of the world." Artemis said through gritted teeth, but he was enjoying the attention for some reason.

"Here," She replied, looking sorry. "I'll go with you back up, and then you can get properly dressed while I get some towels. I forgot to bring some."

The two teens swam back and walked slowly back into the hotel, wher international guest looked at them, wondering if they were crazy enough to walk along the place all wet. They were scattered towards the elevator by the hotel manager, being careful to not slip, and once they made it to the elevator, they got in. They waited for some other people to get in as others got out, but once the shafts closed, they noticed that both of them were alone. Artemis looked at Alison carefully and he was stunned. He wasn't paying any attention to her until now, but that girl was not only a pretty face, but she had a willowy silhouette gained that stood out because of her two-piece bikini. Artemis shook himself.

"So, uh, you're going back to swim, right?" Alison asked timidly, trying to break the silence.

"I suppose, I have nothing else to do."

"Like plotting darstartly plans?"

"Who told you that?" Artemis said, looking into her eyes, forgetting about her appearance.

"Maybe it was Juliet." Ali said with a small smile.

"Oh." Artemis sighed and a warm smile appeared on his face. How surprising.

"I have question," Ali said, folding her arms, more of shattering coldness than interest. "isn't Artemis a girl name? Sorry if it annoys you, but I never met a guy named Artemis."

Artemis expected to be annoyed by this, but he found himself to be completely calm.

"It is generally, but it can also be used for boys and it means _the hunter._ Don't you think it's rather apt?"

"Yeah, it is, but I've never seen you hunt." She laughed gingerly.

"Did you know that your name can also be used for boys?" Artemis asked, stepping out of the elevator as the shafts opened.

"All I know is that it means _of noble blood _or something like that, but I didn't know that."

"Well, it has another side," Artemis informed, turning a right. "For a boy, it means _son of Alice_, Ali and son, it forms two preffixes, but you're a girl, so it has a different meaning. A good meaning, I might add."

"Sweet! I like my name even more!" Alison exclaimed, looking proud.

They entered Artemis's room, and Ali went to the restroom, looking for some towels, while Artemis gaped at his luggage. Now that he remembered, he didn't bring any swimming trunks. For the first time Artemis didn't know what to do, or how to respond to it, so he just stood there, looking at the floor.

Alison emerged from the restroom with at least ten towels in her hands.

"Now what?" She asked, putting the towels on a nearby bed.

"I don't have anything."

She put her hands on her hips, thinking.

"That would be a slight problem, but I don't think Greg would mind if you borrowed his stuff."

"Are yo sure?" He asked.

"No, I'm not- but its better than wearing Butler's clothing." She frowned for a moment. "Does Butler have his cell phone right now?"

"Of course he does. And it's waterproof, if you must know."

"Cool. Well, call him now, and tell him to give Greg the phone and I'll talk to him."

"It's worth a try."

Artemis speed-dialed Butler. He was the only person he had on the list so it didn't take more than one second. Butler answered on the first ring.

"Yes Artemis?"

"I need to talk to Gregory now, so may I talk to him?"

"Yes."

Artemis handed Ali the small object.

"Hey Greg?" Ali said "Its me, Ali."

She waited while he responded.

"Anyway, Artemis doesn't have anything, so can he use some of your stuff, that's if you brought another pair of trunks?" While he answered, she silently mouthed, _please say yes, please say yes..._

Again she waited.

"Thanks Greg, I'll-"

She looked annoyed and looked at the electronic object for a second as though it had offended her until she hung up.

"Boys." She hissed.

"Excuse me?" Artemis retorted.

"He hung up on me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." He said, but he didn't look like it one bit. "So what did he say?"

"He said it's fine as long as his things are back where you found them." She sat on the bed. "Well, go now, I'll wait again."

Artemis felt even more ridiculous than the time he had to dress in normal teen clothes just to steal a priceless piece of art, but this was the limit. He emerged from the hotel with some of Greg's rather long shorts that sagged to his knees, and of course, shirtless, and he felt really cold, so he wrapped himself with a towel carried by Alison.

"You're exaggerating!" Ali hissed, who tried not to tumble into anyone.

"Well, sorry for being cold!" He answered back, trying not to chatter.

Once they were outside, she put the towels on a small table, ran toward the pool, and dived into a cannonball. She looked at Artemis.

"Now you do the same."

"It's seems dangerous, not to mention, I could break my back. A visit to the chiropractor would be appropiate after this."

"It it was dangerous it wouldn't be allowed, would it?"

She has a point, Artemis thought, now stop being a coward and try!

He did, and next thing he knew was that he was deep in the water, looking at nothing but air bubbles, and for a second he thought he was going to drown. He swam back to the surface, and gasped for air.

"_No inventes_...You forgot to take some air in!" Ali gasped as she got splashed. Her voice sounded like it was loosing its patience.

"Thanks for the notice." He said through gritted teeth, thinking that never in his life would he do it again. They went back to Butler, who was telling the kids some of his 'war' stories. Greg and Minerva seemed rather interested, while Juliet drank some lemonade, hearing the stories since her early childhood.

"Look who's here!" Butler chimed, smiling broadly, which he didn't do often.

Gregory looked at Artemis for a second and a malicious grin appeared on his face, and it was gone.

"You know what? I think I'm going back up. I can't stand the heat."Artemis pouted, backing away, frowning. There was something that he didn't like about being with all of them together, something that he wasn't used to, and for what he did next, it made him look like the young, cold boy he used to be. "Besides, I rather be by myself than with all of you right now."

Everyone's incredulous faces looked back at him, and Artemis realized what he said.

"You can't be serious," Ali sighed. "You must really enjoy being in a rut."

"You have a problem with that?" Artemis asked, surprised.

"No, just the fact that you're behaving like an inmature boy..." Ali groaned under her breath. "You're fourteen, for gosh's sake!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Stop acting all stupid, you're supposed to have some fun, not coil up in loneliness."

"Really, Miss I-Got-To-Make-My-Point?" Artemis said, trying to ignore the fact that he had just been called stupid.

"Yeah, you're starting to become really annoying, and I don't tend to judge people when I met them!"

"Now you're judging me?"

"Oh don't worry, you're an exception. You look so weak and untrustworthy right now. That doesn't suit you."

That remark boiled inside of Artemis, but he wasn't going to let her realize how much.

"Well, you're getting really annoying too!" Artemis said back, not being able to remember when was the last time he had lost his temper. In fact, never.

"Yes, maybe, but not as much as you. And I thought you were tougher than me, that of all peoples, you'd be the one who would have a bit of fun-"

"No, in fact, that's where you're mistaking: I _never _wanted to come to Mexico in the first place."

"So why are you here?" She said, desperate.

Artemis smirked at Juliet. "Somebody made me in the first place. Rather forcefully."

"Wow, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm _so_ much tougher than you after all. You were... manipulated? That's sad." She responded angrily.

"Do I look like I care about how tough I am?"

"No you don't, and its a wonder you needed a bodyguard in the first place."

"Oh, spare me the theatrics, do you think I care about this now?" His eyes had an angry fire in them now.

"So you don't care. So this wasn't worth anything?" Ali demanded increduously, her eyes loosing patience too.

"Yes, maybe it wasn't."

"You're being stupid. And you call yourself a genius?" She said, frowning.

"Stupid, am I? Is that what you think?" He said back.

"Well, let me think..._Yes_!"

"At least you're not as stupid as you look." He said in mock casualty. He really didn't want to say that, but he wanted her to feel the anger he was feeling.

Ali laughed deviously. "Rather stupid than lonely and weak."

" Do you think it's easy to be able to be a normal person who doesn't know what he's feeling? What I feel right now? You're too honest, and that's going to get you in trouble someday! Watch what you say!" Artemis responded quite loudly, not meeting her eyes. His temper was rising with each spoken word. He seriously didn't know what was going on with his feelings, especially anger, a quality that wasn't on his personality.

"Oh really? You have no idea what you feel? Well, maybe you're too arrogant and stuck up to notice that, _Master Fowl_!"

"So now you're saying _I'm _the problem?" He said increduously. "You're talking as if you've known me for a long time, which you don't!"

She shook her head. "Oh please, I can tell by the way you're having a go at me! don't act as if I'm the one to blame for who you are!"

Another remark that stung him. He kept quiet for a second, thinking that if anyone was to blame, it was him. He was the cause of his old snobby self. He didn't answer her.

"See? It's you! It's been less than a day and I had it with you!" She said loudly, daring to look at him, her eyes red.

Artemis just laughed a cold laugh, his eyes painted in fury. He ignored the last remark, his face icy.

"And guess what? I can't stand you! So just shut it!" she yelled, and then she exploded in Spanish. "_Tan creido que te crees! Te odio!_"

"Is all that what you really think? Don't make me laugh! All I want is for you to just leave me alone!" Artemis growled, his tone cold, his hands forming fists. "I can't stand you! What was the point of having met each other when it was obvious that we weren't going to like each other? To get along? What was it, then?"

She looked at him, a mixture of emotions on her face. For a moment, Artemis wanted to stop. He didn't want to make her suffer, but the word 'untrustworthy' still reeled inside his mind, and it made him angrier, too angry that he didn't give a chance to see if sparks were actually shooting out of her thin fingers. He was also feeling emotions arise in him, but he hoped that his fury was enough to cover them up. She looked down, and looked like she was on the verge of tears filled with fury. She violently wiped away a stray tear with the back of her hand.

"Well, isn't that interesting? That's something we have in common! Coincidence also? Hopefully it's the only thing we both think, _Ali_!"

Everyone looked at both of them, too surprised and aghast to say anything.

"Artemis!" Butler called. The teen looked at him, his eyes still glaring fury, anger, and... guiltiness?

"Butler, just leave me alone!" He shouted back, looking dangerous. "I really don't need your help right now!"

Butler stood quiet, realizing that it wasn't the time yet.

"Don't put Butler in this mess!" Alison finally said, exploding like an atomic bomb.

He looked at her icily. "I'm done talking to you." Artemis hissed to Ali, who seemed to be straining herself from slapping him.

Without another word, they both left opposite ways, too annoyed to be with each other, ignoring the fact that many eyes followed both of them. Artemis went back up, and decided to take a shower and put on his usual Armani suit. He was still thinking over what happened. Alison, who was hurt enough with other things on her mind, especially because of the fact that she had just met Artemis, decided to walk on the beach, crying silently.

As t he Butlers and the rest looked at them, Butler couldn't help turning to his younger sister.

"Should we..."

She shook her head. "Let Artemis cool down and think over this, and Ali to stop from attacking him. I think this might be a new experience for Artemis. Let him deal with it. Let them _both_ deal with it."

Artemis was back in his room, still feeling a bit shaken because of how he had reacted. He made his way towards the shower room, and as he started to undress, he kept thinking. Why, he thought as he took off his shirt, did the word 'untrustworthy' affect me that badly? He knew the answer to that question, but some part of him still couldn't believe it. When saving the world, hadn't all the fairies, especially Holly, trusted him? After all the things he had been through, all he wanted was trust and friendship, and Alison had reminded him of the old snobby, dark side he was inhabited by once.

He stepped into the shower, and as the warm water spread through him rapidly, so did peace and calmness. He didn't know why, but just thinking of this girl calmed him down, no matter how many things she had said hurt him. He slid until he was in a sitting position. He tried to shake this thought off, but then, even if his eyes were closed, he could see her bright and gentle face, giving him a bright smile, her brown eyes glinting with glee... He opened his blue eyes instantly, and found himself to be alone, the only sound coming from the gently dripping water that fell from his black locks to the floor as he stood up and turned the caps the other way. It had seemed so real, that image, and he suddenly felt happy. He wrapped himself in a rather large towel, and when he saw himself in the mirror, that happiness sank faster than the _Titanic_.

He was suddenly annoyed with himself. Why did I say all those things? Why did I hurt her that badly? She had just begun with a silly, stupid remark that was meant as a joke, and you took it seriously... Why is this happening to me? The more he looked into the mirror, the more he saw Ali's face on it, still smiling, but as he tried to convince himself that he was still angry with her, the more and more did that image fade. He was still angry, but not with that pretty girl, but with himself now. Things kept getting even more confusing than ever. One moment, he's supposedly 'head-over-heels' with that beautiful girl, then he's angry at her, and now he's the problem. He breathed deeply and looked at his hands. They were shaking gently, and he didn't want to look up now. Looking at himself again seemed to be like looking at an intesely bright light after being in the darkness for a long time. He slammed his hands on the sink, not being sure if the small trickle he felt on his cheek was dripping water or a small tear. He suddenly realized it was both, mixed, and that the tear had brought a bit of shame for saying all those things without thinking, and for once, not blaming it on his painful, confusing puberty.

_Oh really? You have no idea what you feel? Well, maybe you're too arrogant and stuck up to notice that, Master Fowl!_

Was she actually right? Was he being blinded, not by all those nasty things, but because he wouldn't bring himself to admit that whatever was happening to him didn't always have a logic answer? Or he didn't want to see it because he didn't want to admit it? The Irish boy was confused, and decided to tell himself that he had no feeling whatsoever for Alison, and decided to try the benefit of the doubt as to see who would be the one apologizing first. Him or her. But he couldn't.

_I don't know what to think! _he said softly to himself as he got out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and looked out the balcony, and noticed a small girl walking along the edge of the water. It was Ali.

_Alison..._ He said again, the happy image of the girl fading. _I'm... _

But he didn't finish the thoughtful sentence. He wasn't sure if he wanted to say it to himself if he hadn't thought he'd be saying it to her.

Another tear fell.

It was seven o' clock, six hours after the little 'explosion' caused by Artemis's old arrogance and Alison's honesty. They were both opposites, it wasn't a surprise. Like fire and water. If Ali was fire, then Artemis was water, but don't forget that a little spark of fire could melt the water if it was ice, which is what Butler, Juliet, Minerva and Greg thought that afternoon. They were inside the hotel's fancy restaurant 'El sol de Mexico' and they were waiting for the 'troubled' teens to arrive. At different intervals of course. They couldn't risk having them have another go at each other. They decided to have Ali arrive first, at ten minutes after seven, and Artemis twenty minutes after seven. They thought it was a good plan.

"I've never seen them so angry." Minerva sighed, her head resting on her palm. "Alison at least."

"Artemis may lose his patience, but not his anger. He can actually control it. But he's been different lately, ever since he came back from..." Butler didn't finish the sentence, but Minerva understood what he was about to say.

"Yeah, right. Last time I saw Ali angry or annoyed at least was when she lost it with the teacher. She even swore in both English and Spanish, and I do wonder what she ever said when she felt emotional." Greg applied, not looking worried.

"You know, I always knew something like this was going to happen." Juliet thought out loud. "It's normal for teens to lose it at this age. But there might be another reason for Arty's character."

"Why?" the other three said in unison.

Juliet calmly took a long drink from her lemonade before she responded.

"Maybe because Artemis got hit by Cupid!" Juliet said finally, putting the drink down, smiling a toothy smile and clapping her hands together. "Duh! I thought you all had noticed."

"You really think so? That would be very unlikely for Artemis." Butler opinioned, his brow furrowed.

"Yes, but still, Artemis is quite good at hiding his feelings, and being in _love_ is something new to him, so he doesn't know how to react by it, which explains why he's been extra sarcastic lately." Juliet pondered. "And maybe annoying and stuck up . I wouldn't be surprised if I'm right. Alison noticed that too."

"And Alison's rather passionate about what she feels. If she's betrayed or hurt by somebody she trusts, no matter if it was just a joke, she won't forgive you that easily unless you actually mean it, and she feels bad about that. One of the things she hates. And she always says what she thinks, and she's too nice to people, and kind of honest. That makes her vulnerable." Minerva said, taking a sip from some lemonade.

"So you think those two like each other?" Butler said in disbelief.

"Maybe. Ali has a fiery temper, and that's probably what Artemis likes about her, and that's what makes her earn his respect. She goes by her impulses and Arty by what he thinks is right and convenient to him. Am I right?" Juliet said, looking innocent.

The others nodded.

"So it leads to my conclusion that something might happen between those two any time soon."

"I see." Butler added, which was completely a lie.

"Right..." Juliet joked, looking at her older brother, but he seemd to have another question.

"How can Artemis _like _her if he just met her last night? How can she?"

Juliet thought for a moment.

"Well," She began patiently. "There are such things as _love at first sight_..."

"Doubt it," Butler said. "Next option."

"Dom, we're talking about Artemis," The young woman said exasperated. "Anything's possible with that boy, and I don't think there's anything else I can say on that subject because it's Arty who has a crush, not me."

"Oh."

"Wait, there's something I didn't get." Minerva chided, sitting straight up. "Ali said something about not being worth anything and Artemis saying that it wasn't at all. What did they mean?"

"I don't know, that's something they would know. Well, Alison at least. She started that part." Juliet replied, taking another sip of some lemonade.

"You're saying that maybe Ali was referring to something else?" Greg asked.

"Probably because Artemis kind of changed the subject about his feelings at the end, and he probably thought she was refferring to what he thought they were talking about."

"So they-" Butler intercepted, looking rather confused than lost.

"Were talking about different things." Minerva finished his sentence.

"I still don't understand-"

"Big brother, there are some things that you'll never understand, which is why I'm around to help you out."

"Right, its ten past seven. Our first target is about to arrive." Butler grunted, not believing that he could have missed so much of what Artemis felt.

"You sound like we're all going to war." Juliet said, rolling her eyes. "We're not in the Battle of the Hormones."

"We are somehow." Butler murmured.

As if on cue, Ali arrived, a serene look on her face, wearing a skort, sneakers, with a shirt that said in the front 'Having an idiot look at my developments: It doesn't have a price'. Her eyes scanned for her companions until she found them and she smiled, but it seemed a bit forced. She was still stung by what happened earlier. She walked toward them, her eyes bright.

"Hello people!" She said, sitting next to Juliet, who grinned at her.

"Happy birthday!" Juliet said merrily.

"It's not my birthday. It's till August." Ali said smiling.

"I know. I was joking."

Ali looked at her for a moment. "Okay... that was a good one."

Minerva couldn't resist adding a comment. "Why is it that every time I make a joke does nobody laugh, while Juliet's joke, not only was it bad, and do people end up laughing?"

No one answered her.

A waiter came scurrying towards them.

"May I take your order miss?"

"Uh, yeah," She looked at the menu. "I'll have some... Enchiladas with no onions."

"And to drink?" The waiter asked, jotting down her order.

"Sprite. No ice please." She answered back, giving him the menú.

She looked at the people in front of her, and they were leaning towards her, except Greg, who was slouching in his seat, and shrugged.

"What?" She asked uncertainly.

"Time to face destiny." Juliet said in a mistified voice, pointing at the restaurant's entrance.

At that moment, Artemis Fowl the Second entered.

Artemis wasn't really sure if he was up to dinner. He wasn't hungry at all. In that moment he hated himself for being mean, no _horrible_, to a rather nice person, someone who had spoken the horrible truth. For a particular reason he lost his temper, and he still wasn't in a good mood, well, he was kind of feeling a bit better now, but still, he had thought about it earlier, but now... _She deserved it_, his dark side said, not feeling any remorse, _she did call you arrogant and stuck up... _but she's right, his conscience said, like you said, she's too honest, and she's not lying at all about you being an arrogant and stuck up boy. These thoughts swirled around his mind, confusing him even more. And besides, he coudn't help thinking of what Alison might think of him now.

What? Snap out of it! He thought, why are you still thinking of her? It's not like I feel anything for her. I don't!... Do I? He looked at his reflection in the mirror in his room. He was changing not only physically, but now his feelings were changing. He knew this would happen, but not this badly. When he met Minerva, he had started to grow feelings of attraction for her, but now he felt like she was just an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time. Literally, after the incident with the demons. And she had changed. She was no longer a young child, but a young woman, no longer that little annoying, inmature girl, but a changed one, and Artemis wasn't sure if he still liked her. He wanted her as a friend now, or so he thought. But with Ali, he felt he could just be his sarcastic self, not caring if he had met her the night before, without worrying what others thought, but that had gotten him into trouble.

Pushing these thoughts away, Artemis Fowl the Second made his way toward the elevator, and into the restaurant entrance, and then he stopped himself, thinking. Butler had told him to come at twenty past seven, and so it was really obvious that he was planning something, and that something happened to be a reconciliation between two people, or so, that's what he suspected, and his suspicions were always correct. Straining himself from walking away, he let out a big breath he didn't realize he'd been holding for a rather long time. Plucking up all the courage he could muster, Artemis entered the fancy restaurant. At first, he expected to find the place almost completely empty, but he found it almost completely full. Artemis grimaced. He disliked places where there were too many people, and especially the noise they caused.

Artemis walked toward the table were Butler and company sat. Butler wasn't that hard to miss. His heart gave a jolt. Ali was looking at him, wide-eyed, while the others looked uncertain. Admitting that his suspicion was correct, the Fowl heir made his way toward them and took a seat opposite of Alison, wishing a few seconds later that he hadn't. He couldn't help looking at her at intervals. Nobody talked for a moment until the waiter arrived with everyone's food, except Artemis, who didn't feel like eating, or ordering anything. Out of nowhere, a slow rythym of music filled the noisy place, and Artemis could hear some of the lyrics in Spanish, and he understood things like, _'cause I'm not gonna cry, 'cause I'm not gonna cry (_A/N: My own translation.) about three times till the singers got to the chorus.

The teens ignored each other completely, Artemis looking at his napkin in front of him, thinking that Alison looked rather pretty even if she was angry. The girl was sitting with her arms crossed, looking haughty. Artemis dared once more to look at her, and she looked at him, and their eyes locked instantly. She looked away, her hair swishing in her face.

"RBD," Ali said unexpectedly, smiling, forgetting Artemis. "They're awesome!"

"Never heard of them," Juliet and Minerva said together, listening to the music, hoping this might cheer Artemis to join in the conversation.

"You gave me one of their songs for Valentine's Day." Greg muttered, looking rather haughtily at Ali, who blushed. "I haven't forgotten."

"They're one of Mexico's best music group." She recited, looking away from Greg. "They're made up by Anahi, Dulce Maria, Maite, Alfonso, Christopher, and Christian. No clue about their last names, but who cares? I love their songs, and what they talk about, especially the song _Tal vez despues._It's such an awesome song."

Then the lights darkened, giving the place a moody sort of feeling, and a young woman in punk clothes stood in a platform, which happened to be in front of Artemis's table. She lifted a microphone to her mouth.

"To all the public in this place, we give you, RBD Karaoke Night!" She said loudly. "One lucky person will start of with the first song, and yep, that person will be from the public!"

A blinding light swept randomly from person to person, until it landed on Ali's confused face, blinding her for a moment. The announcer went over to her and pulled her up. Artemis could see her shaking her head and mouthing the word 'no' over and over until she was the middle of attention. She looked small and pale from up there but once the music started, her face turned into utter disbelief. She no longer looked scared, but joyful.

"_Tal vez despues_..." She mouthed, looking at the people in front of her, grinning. Her eyes locked on Artemis, and that smile dissapeared.

Artemis thought this was rather a bit dramatic, but then again, Butler might have planned this, or maybe it would be more appropiate to say that it was Juliet and Minerva, who were both girls and understood these matters. For once, Artemis decided to relax his mind and let the music flow through him.

The song reached its pre-chorus and Artemis the Second listened to the verse that was in Spanish:

_Y esta vez no sere tu princesa de sal, _

_que al llorar cubre el mar de soledad_...

You go around like we're done, but we've only begun,

tell the truth to yourself, you might as well...

Artemis raised his head toward Ali, and saw that she was singing without looking at the screen above her, she was singing with her heart in her hands because of the blazing look in her face.

_Duele ser la que te busca por teléfono_,

_Duele ser la que navega en busca del amor,_

_Me duele ver que las miradas van cayendo y se hace tarde y no se,_

_Tal vez después, me vuelvas a ver…_

If it's too late, why are we talking on the telephone?

If it's too late, why do I always get to take you home?

If it's too late, if we are over, should be colder, you're not walking away...

Artemis could clearly see that she wasn't just a normal girl. She was right, though. She was tougher than him. But emotianlly. _Tal vez después me vuelvas a ver..._ If it's too late, then why did you stay?

The young Irish boy shook himself, but the next verse made him think all over again… _Was it the way you said goodbye, you should try a little harder, aha, aha, 'cause you're drivin' me insane, your convictions always change, aha, aha_... Again, Artemis's heart gave a jolt. The last part looked like it'd said that he was always giving out excuses to run away from his troubles, and that drove those he cared for crazy. How strange.

Again, the chorus started, and this time, Artemis didn't feel like paying attention to what the song had to say, until the words caught him again.

_Stop pretending we're breaking up, we should be trying to make it up, don't you know what you mean to me, don't play me to much, enough is enough...If it's too late...Tal vez despues_...

Artemis sighed and closed his eyes, thinking. He doudbted this was part of the 'plan' because once he looked at his companions, he could see in theis faces surprisement, and told them this was an unexpected thing. He smirked, realizing that they had failed, but at once he regretted it. His old self still wanted to haunt him even if the world stopped turning. Artemis Fowl the Second would not give up so easily.

_If it's too late... _

The song had finally ended, and when Artemis regained control of his mind, he saw Ali give him one last look, and then she ran out of the place and dissapeared into the night.

**That was chapter 2. So what do you think? Are you enjoying it? Please ****RATE AND REVIEW!**** I have many ideas for this fic, but I would like to know what you think of it so far.**

**I was happy to write the part where Artemis gets angry with Alison, but I suppose he couldn't help it, I mean, it's puberty and Ali is a girl! It's a wonder he gets nervous! **

**For those who don't know, RBD is a Mexican group, and one of my favorites, and the songs mentioned in this chapter are: **_**Money, Money **_**and **_**Tal vez despues**_**, which I happen to love and I kind of find it fitting with **_**Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony's **_**mood, and Artemis's feelings**__**English version by Joanna Zimmer 'If it's too late')**__**Check out the songs at Youtube. About Alison's creative last name, if you were wondering or simply didn't have he faintest idea, it's pronounced **_**Gah-llay-goes**_**, and it was inspired by the famous 'Gallegos jokes', the river in Argentina and the people, language and village found in Spain. **

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3: Double the doubled trouble

**Here's chapter 3. Again, I hope you like it.**

**I DON't OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY OTHER RELATED CHARACTERS © Eoin Colfer **

**Chapter 3****: Double the doubled trouble**

**Section Eight, Downtown Haven**

Holly Short was on her way to Section Eight's operation room, or more precisely, Foaly's office, accompanied by Mulch Diggums. She had just recieved a message from him on her helmet a few moments ago. The message said it was urgent, but Holly doubted it was urgent. Maybe the paranoid centaur just wanted her to see a new invention, or maybe just wanted a box of fresh carrots, but she learned to never ignore him, because ignoring him would mean chaos of everyone. Holly turned a corner and saw Wing Commander Vinyaya also walking in the same direction Holly was. She reached up to her.

"Did you get a message from Foaly too?" Holly asked, looking at her.

"Yes Captain," Said Wing Commander Vinyaya, looking extremely grave. "I just hope it isn't what I think it is."

"What happ-" Holly began, but was cut short by the sound of trotting hoofs, and realized that Foaly the centaur joined them.

"Hey Foaly," She said, waving at the centaur. "What happened?"

"Oh, hi Holly." He said, looking flabbergasted. "I'll explain when we're at my office..."

Mulch spoke up. "It would be nice to explain now, pony boy."

Foaly ignored him. The four of them turned another corner and arrived at Foaly's place. The office was full of gadgets of nanotechnology and a few boxes with carrots. Clearly there was something seriously wrong because once Holly looked at Foaly's screens, she saw that there was a message that filled the whole room. _Breakout from Howler's Peak _was what the screen read. Holly thought her breath had run out. A breakout? How could there be? No one had ever broken out from Howler's Peak...

"So, is that it?" Holly asked, pointing at the screens.

"Yeah, and more than that, I'm afraid." Foaly said, firing up his computers.

"Who broke out, Foaly?" Wing Commander Vinyaya said, sitting on a nearby chair.

"You won't believe who. I'm so amazed that person managed to get out of that place and flee,... I can't believe they outsmarted me!"

"Get on with it," Mulch muttered.

"Foaly!" Both females said loudly.

"Fine! Sorry. The escaped convicts are Opal Koboi and those twins, the Brill brothers."

"What!" Holly exploded, slamming her fist on a nearby computer.

"Whoa! watch it with these beauties! Especially that one!" Foaly exclaimed, shielding his computer from Holly's fist.

"Captain Short, please do calm yourself!" The Commander said, looking scandalized, but Holly could tell that she was approving of her reaction.

"Yeah, Holly. You haven't had lunch yet and already angry!" Mulch exclaimed.

"Are you sure she broke out? Because I just can't see how she did it." Holly said, taking deep breaths, ignoring Mulch. "We're talking about Howler's Peak!"

"Yes, she did, but I'm still amazed that she managed to do it, and especially because of her state. But I bet you that she didn't use any magic, ans she can't have because after taking the Human Growth Hormone, she lost her magic humanizing herself."

"I know that, but how did she do it without using magic? For all we know, she could." Holly mused, still angry.

"I have a theory, but I don't even believe it!" Foaly turned to his computers and looked at a empty cell.

"Do me a favor, and do mention it."

"I wouldn't believe it too, Foaly, but I trust you now, unless you believe me that I never took your hoof moistureizer..." Mulch grinned.

"Shut up, Mulch!" Holly hissed.

"So what's the unbelievable theory, Mr. Foaly?" The Wing Commander asked, ignoring Mulch's jibe.

"You two remember when Chix Verbil was made to guard Opal's cell since she was arrested after finding her in Italy?" He mused.

"Yes."

"Well, I think he had something to do with this..."

"Chix, help Opal?" Holly snorted. "Chix would never betray us, would he?"

"No, he would never, but he might have helped her against his own will, if you actually think about it." Foaly resumed, turning to both females.

"So you think that..." Holly began.

"Opal somehow managed to _mesmer_ Chix. And she knows it's against the rules of the Book." Foaly finished for her, looking unhappy.

"But, Foaly, didn't you say that she didn't have a drop of magic left?" Wing Commander Vinyaya contemplated, biting her lower lip.

"At first, that's what everyone thought, even Opal herself, but apparently she had some stored magic hidden in her that she didn't realize she had until she _mesmered _Chix." Foaly explained. "But it wasn't much left. She's completely drained."

"So Koboi _mesmerised_ Verbil to free her and the Brill brothers without being unnoticed? Please tell me your cameras got that." The Commander said hopefully.

"Yep, I got that on tape, and you can see it one frame per second!"

And with that melodramatic end, Foaly showed both female elfs the triple escape. At first, there was Chix, showing off to Koboi, who apparently seemed to be enjoying it, even though she was acting. Then for a second, Chix stopped doing whatever he was doing and looked at Opal as if he were being hipnotized. Apparently, Opal attempted the mesmer, and it seemed it was doing effect on him, and after two second, he pressed the code to her cell,and before she got out, she shielded. Holly could see she was doing that because of some little haze of sparkles that surrounded her silhoutte, and then they headed to the Brills' cell, which was right next to hers. Verbil did the same thing as he did with Koboi's and they were free.

"Foaly..." Holly began, never taking her eyes off Opal. "Why didn't she notice the cameras?"

"Talking about that..."

Unexpectedly, Opal took a set of Hummingbird wings and a Neutrino from Chix's back, and flew to where the cameras were. She looked at one of them, smiled nastily, waved at it, and fired a single shot from the Neutrino, directed at the lens. They lost visual.

"Smooth, Pony boy." Mulch grinned.

"Well...for the question now is, _where is she_?" Vinyaya asked, folding her arms.

"Well, there are two shutes that left around the time after she escaped," He opened another program on his precious computers, and his eyes scanned aound a list. "Yeah, chutes E17 and E39."

"And those lead to..." Mulch waved his hands.

"E17 goes to Mexico, E39 heads to Austria. Happy?"

"It doesn't really help." Holly exclaimed.

"Well, I hope this does," Foaly tapped a few keys. "I take you know our favorite criminal mastermind, now a nice Mud Boy, Artemis Fowl won a trip to _Mexico_?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh dear." Mulch whistled.

"That helps now." Vinyaya explained, getting to her feet. "Well, I have to go now. And keep me informed about this, Foaly."

With that, she waved at them, and left, holsting her Neutrino.

"Anyway, that was the easy part, but the problem is that chute E17 is divided."

The elf and dwarf looked confused.

"You see, once the chute arrives somewhere near the country, it takes two separate ways, one that lead to the Federal District, where Mexico City is, and the other is Cancún."

"Why?"

"Well, everybody loves Cancún. Those blissful beaches, and the sun... It's paradise for fairies there who're looking for some relaxation."

"No," Holly explained. "Why is it divided in two?"

"Oh, according to some of the information I know, the chute was divided about two hundred years ago, in the XIV century, when that chute was created. The blueprints to that specifically instructed Mexico City as the target, but apperently, as a joke, some funny _dwarf,_," He shot a nasty look at Mulch, who looked guilty. "Thought it's be funny if he made another fake blueprint, directed to Cancún. Obviously, people fell for it, and the next thing they know, there are two separate paths to that country, and it makes the chute's functions go haywire, which is way I constructed a navigating system on all the chutes that leave to that country."

"So it was all part of a _prank?_" Holly looked astounded. "And you were behind it?" She looked at Mulch, who nodded.

"I was just wondering if your techies would notice that the blueprint was a fake, and besides, didn't they check the numbers? They were all a bunch of random calculations, and they fell for it."

"And they didn't help at all." Foaly reasoned.

"So, where is she? and Artemis?"Holly said.

"I'm not exactly sure, Artemis didn't leave any traces at all, but I might have an idea." Foaly sighed. "There were two chutes that went into those two ways. And maybe one of them was a decoy, judging her style, but I can't be sure. It'll take me a few moments to figure it out, but I think that little guy would help me out a bit. If only our communications wasn't cut..."

"What little guy?"

"Oh, I must've forgotten to mention it, but Opal kidnapped No1, that little adorable warlock."

"Oh great, now who's going to save him with a megalomaniac killer on the loose?" Holly wondered.

Judging by the look on their faces looking knowingly at her made her know who the savior was going to be. She wasn't looking at them directly, but she felt their eyes over her.

"You've got to be kidding!" She answered sarcastically. "You want me to save No1 _and_ save Artemis too?"

"Well, not at the same time, maybe, but yes, they're connected in this mess, but don't worry, I'll help you out as soon as I know where they're at. But for now, I think that Fowl is in Cancún, so that's probably where she is. Hiding, at any rate."

Holly wasn't happy about the idea. She always had to save the Mud Boy, but this time, it wasn't because of something he did, and he was in danger again. She remembered rather vividly when Opal had tried to kill Artemis with a bio-bomb, almost killing him and his manservant, Butler, but thankfully, she had been there to heal Artemis's broken ribs, and filled him with the memories he had lost because of Foaly's memory wipe. Holly had to admit, but it had been a close one. She wasn't even sure she could save them this time.

"Before I forget..." Foaly said, looking at her. "Arty has some company. The Butler sibling, some American cousin, and two girlfriends." He snickered at the last two words.

"Who are the last three people?" She asked, ignoring the word 'girlfriends'.

"Again, I hacked into innocent Arty's computer and I figured out who the people were. Okay," He breathed and opened a window with the picture of a teenage boy with dirty blond hair and green eyes. "This is Gregory Paradizo, 14, and he's an American teen visiting Minerva," He showed a picture of Minerva. "Who happens to be his cousin. And then," He tapped another key, and a teen girl with black-brown hair and dark brown eyes appeared, smiling a dazzling smile. "There's Alison Gallegos. 14 also. Another American, but born out of Mexican parents, of mixed heritage between Spanish and Mexican. It rather explains her looks." He looked at the girl. "She's rather pretty,"

"For once, I agree with you, donkey boy," Mulch summarized. "She's pretty for a Mud Girl."

"Too pretty, in fact," Holly reacted, looking at the girl. There was something about her eyes that made Holly look at her for more than ten seconds. It seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "But who cares if we got Opal on the loose?"

"You got a point on that."

"Do Greg and Alison know each other?" Holly wondered after a few seconds of consideration.

"Now that you mention it, they do." Foaly looked impressed. "You see, they both go to the same school since seventh grade, and they live in a little town called Marthasville, somewhere in Missouri, back in the States."

"Okay, that was just something I was wondering. So when is the next flare ready?"

"The next one is programmed for tomorrow, but I'll make sure you get one before tomorrow, how about that? Tonight at the latest."

"Yeah, that's great," Holly looked depressed for a second.

"Something wrong?" Foaly looked at her with concerned eyes.

"Facing Koboi again just makes me feel..." Holly tried to explain, but she couldn't. She felt that thirst for vengeance she felt when Koboi had assasinated Commander Julius Root, but at the same time, she felt a mixture of anger and, could it be? _Fear_? No, it couldn't be fear. Hollly Short was known for not fearing fear. Holly just couldn't explain it to herself, so she didn't need to finish her sentence. Foaly seemed to know what was going on her mind.

"Holly, you'll be alright. I know you. You're strong, both inside and out. You'll beat her again, don't worry..." He patted her gently on the shoulder, walking out of his office, leaving Holly. Foaly looked back from his office door. "Sorry, but I have to go and warn the techies about this. I'll see you later." He left, trotting.

"Hey, Holly, don't worry, I'll go with you if it makes you feel any better!" Mulch said excitedly.

Holly smiled.

"Are you sure you're feeling better, Holly?" Foaly whispered to Holly.

"Yeah, I'm better, thanks." Holly responded, looking fierce.

She was on her way to chute E17 with the company of Mulch and Foaly, and some pizza-crazed goblin had held her up mere moments ago, offering her a piece of pizza. The impudent goblin wouldn't let her go until she punched him on the nose. She didn't want to do it but she had to, as seeing this was an emergency, but hopefully, with Mulch at her side (Doodah Day had taken a little vacation to the city of Atlantis as a reward for doing a great job on his duties.) she hoped that things would become easier. The goblin looked annoyed and left, giving her dark looks, and nasty swear words were followed, and then did he began to sing the pizza song after being thirty feet away.

As Holly and Mulch neared closer, they could get a glimpse of a pod sitting in a clamp. The pod seemed to be bigger than the normal ones, but it was probably made for Section Eight workers. The black matté color might have given it away.

"Yeah, it's supposed to look like that," Foaly quipped after Holly asked him why it was rather large. "It's made for two people, and you're going with..." He wrinkled his nose.

"Foaly, when are you going to understand that I'm a healthy essence of a male for the females? I am rather attractive after all." Mulch responded, huffing his chest.

"Yes, but next time, please take a shower!" Foaly erupted sarcastically. "If you even know what that is!"

Holly chuckled. Mulch and Foaly. You never got tired of their babbling.

"Yeah, but he smells worst than last time," He murmured, eyeing the dwarf. "Just make sure that you don't throw up on him on your way."

"Hey, I heard that!" Mulch glanced at both of them reproachfully.

Holly burst out laughing, and looked the pod. Well, she thought, time for me to save Artemis and the world...again.

They got in, and Foaly helped them with the strappings of their seats. Well, he didn't help Mulch, as seing that he smelled so bad for the People to get close to him.

"Well, are you two ready?"

Both nodded, and Holly asked one last question.

"I just remembered, is that navigating system connected to your computers?"

"Oh yes, I didn't forget that detail. With this system and a few fixer uppers, you'll get to Cancún safe and sound. I'll directly order the pod to go that way, but you'll have to work the controls, since it can get a little rough."

"Impresssive," Holly commented.

"I know." Foaly breathed.

"Well, I don't care how impressive that is," Mulch said. "You said Cancún is a beach. And beaches usually have a bright sun shining over them."

"So?" Holly and Foaly repeated together.

"The sun! Dwarf skin is very sensible! I can't get sunburned! I need sun block!" He started to look for some histerically.

"Oh yes, I wouldn't want to ruin your chances with the ladies. Here," He said, throwing him a black suit. "Instead of using that ghastly thing you call sun block, you can use the suit. It protects you from anything your skin is sensible to. What it does is memorize your flesh and it works only for your type of skin, and works useless for anyone else that wears it,"

"Oh, joy!" Mulch put on the black suit.

"I think you're supposed to say something to me, Mulchie." Foaly said.

"Oh, yeah, go away, we're in a hurry," Mulch grinned. The centaur pouted.

"You're welcome." He responded unhappily. "Bye Holly." Saying that, he left in a trot. Holly knew he was on his way to his precious computers, ready to lead them on the way.

In ten minutes, Foaly spoke to them through the speakers in front of Holly.

"Okay, you two ready?" He asked, his voice sounding as if though he were still next to Holly.

"Yes."

"Alrighty, you two better put on your helmets, there might be a bit of pressure on your way, but I doubt you'll need them, but still, let's not take any risks. Especially brain fluid risks."

Both Mulch and Holly did as asked and in less than a second, the pod moved downward. Holly could have sworn that her stomach had moved out of place for a second.

"Oops, sorry," Foaly said. "Didn't mean to. Okay, here we go. Holly, take the controls, you'll be doing the first part."

Holly took hold of the joysticks. Again,out of nowhere, the pod moved, but this time it fell into the magma flares below them. Holly could feel the force of gravity as it pulled them downward. Holly thought that they might not make it upward, as seeing this was a lot faster than the usual pods.

"Okay Holly," Foaly yelled. "Now!"

Holly moved the joysticks to her desired direction, and at that moments, a surge of magma and pyroclastic material forced them upward. Holly moved to the right at the sight of a gigantic rock. They almost clashed with it, but thank God Holly was the best for this kind of job.

"Sweetums, you're almost there!" Foaly presented.

She would've responded, but she could barely move her lips. All her skin was being pulled to the back of her head, looking almost comical.

At last, they felt themselves slowing down. They were being carried by hot air and some small amount of gas. Holly could see that there were two ways upward, one to the right, the other to the left. She thought that slowing down wouldn't help, and then she heard Foaly, but couldn't distinguish what he was saying due to the roar. All she heard was 'turning to the left.' and indeed he did. The pod took a fierce pull toward the left side and again, they were pushed upward by the hot gas and rock particles.

In less than five minutes they reached the landing bay.

"Never again am I riding that hell of a thing!" Mulch said as soon as they got out. "Too much force."

"Well, your force is slightly stronger than that." Holly chuckled.

"Yes, but I can control mine if I want to. Anyway, halfway I could've sworn my skin was being pulled out of my face!"

"I can imagine, Mulch." Holly stared at the flatulent dwarf. He looked rather annoyed.

They arrived at some sort of minijungle without the wild animals and plants. Not so far away they could notice a building with blinding lights in the dark night. Very few stars covered the night.

"Holly, can you hear me?" A voice came to her earpiece.

"Yeah, Foaly, copy," She responded, looking around. "Where exactly are we?"

"Isla Mujeres. It's not far from Cancún, like right next to it. All you have to do is fly and warn little Arty. Not too difficult."

"I know, it's so simple I can't believe how easy it is!" She answered sarcastically. "What do we do now?"

"Well, just wait for a few hours till I get some info." Foaly suggested. "You can camp out if you want, but you might have to tell him no earlier than tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll warn you."

"Okay, thanks Foaly." She answered back, and cut him off. She needed some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. Especially saving six humans and a warlock from three pixies, one which happened to be an assasin.

**So? Are you liking it? Who knows what Opal plans and how N****o****1 is involved, but if you'd like to find out, keep reading and waiting for later chapters.**

**Again, thank you for taking your time into reading my work and please do RATE and REVIEW, as that would get my motivation going into putting my best effort to please the readers of this fic.**


	4. Chapter 4: Knocked out

**This is chapter 4****. Knock yourselves out... or rather don't. Hope you like it!**

**I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS © Eoin Colfer**

**I DON'T OWN RBD'S SONG: **_**TAL VEZ DESPUES **_**© EMI Music México**

**Chapter 4****: Knocked out**

**Chute E17, Haven City**

Opal Koboi: one of the most infamous lawbreakers in Haven City, and possibly, not the best choice of a criminal you'd want to be with, unless you like torture in every meaning of the word, and share the same obsession for power and money.

She was in a Hoverboy, one of her own creations, and curled in it like a cat, waiting for her servors so she could get in the chute as soon as possible. She was content, and wondered how many good things could happen today. First of all, she managed to escape from that wretched place fairies called jail, and of course, it was far from luxury, but it was an advantage to be breathtakingly beautiful and that your guard was a complete moron who tried to astonish you. She didn't think it'd be difficult to escape after discovering that Chix Verbil would be the one vigilating her on regular basis. One of the jail's security errors, well, maybe after putting Grub Kelp as the next guard on duty, then that had to be the worst decision.

It had taken practically about three years for Opal to do what she wished while she felt she was in a cage: she bid for freedom, second choice after chocolate truffles. One thing was to induce yourself in a cleansing coma, but that was enjoying the company of your thoughts and being pampered, but it was something different than hearing a certain pair of pixies that happened to be twins to finish each other's sentences, and being fed what seemed to be grub, and sleep on a dirty mat, and for three years straight, it seemed fair enough to get granted what she wanted.

Something important happened, then. A few months previously she had heard form Chix Verbil that the annoying human, Artemis Fowl, along with that odious Holly Short, had come back from Hybras, along with the company of three warlocks, well, two, as the third was a demon with a warlock inside of him. Opal did wonder what those two where doing with the eighth family, but then again, as a genius, she knew about the time spell and Hybras being stuck in Limbo for a millenia. She knew it was almost time, with all the Section Eight fairies secretly working on this incident that they were too busy to give her any attention, so she began what she did best: plan evil plots, and her brain finally gave her the perfect plan, but mesmerising Chix wasn't part of it. In fact, it had begun as a small accident.

When she finally realized the time had come, she pretended to be enjoying Verbil's attention and flattering looks, ignoring his compliments to her, but she couldn't hide her annoyance, and her impatience, so she just wished she could mesmer this creature and tell him to get out of her line of vision, no matter if it was forbidden by the Book, the fairy bible. It seemed her wish came true because afterwards, Chix stopped what he was doing, and entered some kind of trance. Opal knew immediately what happened and was stunned, her face draining of all color. She thought she was drained of all magic in her after the HGH, which completely humanized her, and now she had grown over six inches tall, and fairies that passed her cell by considered her a freak of nature. At least her beauty hadn't dissapeared.

As she had Chix in her control, she ordered him in her sweetly layered voice to release her from this prison, and to stop impressing her. He did what she ordered, and in no less than five seconds was she out. She told him to get the Brill twins out, and finally it had happened. She was free, at last, after three years, and she was ready to finally kill Artemis Fowl the Second. Finally. Opal knew that Foaly would have cameras around, to see what happened around the place, but where, she had to figure it out. And it didn't take that much. She detected a slight haze as she looked up, and realized that Foaly had shielded the cameras. Smart, but not smart enough. Opal grabbed Chix's Neutrino blaster and his set of wings. She flew towards the first camera she saw, and with a sickenly sweet smile, she waved a manicured hand at it and fired.

_Just wait Foaly, _she thought as she fired the rest of what remained behind, doing it quickly before somebody realized what was going on. _Oh, dear, young Artemis Fowl, just wait. _She fired the last camera, imagening it was Artemis. It was blasted to smithereens.

So here she was, in chute E17, ready to head to Mexico, the place she knew Artemis was, after winning a contest back in Ireland a few months after his comeback. She had a plan already, and she was happy to say that Mexico was one of her options to execute it, and lucky enough because that country was the first option. She stepped out of her Hoverboy and got into the pod, and obediantly strapped herself up, and waited for those two pixies, Mervall and Descant Brill to get in the pilot's cabinet. After waiting five minutes, she got impatient and screeched with all the strenght she could muster.

"Mervall, Descant!" She said on top of her lungs. "Hurry up! We don't have much time to lose! That warlock might wake up any moment soon!"

She had kidnapped No1 a few hours earlier, noticing that he'd be crucial in her plan, along with some other things. She really didn't have any idea where that creature would be, so she made the twins investigate the residence, and did she figure out that he was under the care of Section Eight, living in the outskirts of the city, in a home specialized to _almost _resemble his natural habitat, except that it'd be cleaner, not so hot, and with cooked food. Opal thought about it, and realized it wouldn't be difficult, so an after after her escape, she hurried off with the twins and found the warlock's home. It was quite civilized the way he lived. A small creek that ran around the corner if his small room, and not to mention, he had a good taste in decorations, and for a demon warlock, that was something.

The three escapees quietly turned the nob, and found the creature to be sitting in front of a window, looking out below at the gigantic rocks in front of him, deep in thought. He had heard the soft click of the knob, but ingored it, something Opal was delighted to see. She slowly neared him, and when they were ten centimeters apart, did she poke him softly on the shoulder, and once he turned around, did she pull her hand formed into a small fist, and punched him with all her might. He feel unconscious the nex second. Koboi flexed her fingers.

"Hmm, I may have fractured a joint..." She looked at the twins. "Well, don't just stand there, get him out of here and put him in the bag!"

The twins obeyed immediately and put him inside a bag, but before that, wrapped him up in a camouflage foil. If anyne bothered to look in there, it would seem empty, as if a demon warlock wasn't in there.

"Let's go now," Opal breathed as she ran from the place, the Brills at her wake.

**Somewhere in Cancún, Mexico**

No1 finally woke up. He wasn't feeling too well, unless you had been knocked out when you were enjoying a wonderful daydream, dreaming about finding your lost demoness mother with the same markings as you. He looked around. He had no idea where he was. But the place certainly was pretty, in a humid sort of way. No1 could've sworn that he was back in Hybras, because of the sweltering heat, but then he saw life in the shape of trees and tropical birds, and he thought he was in paradise for a moment and instantly discarded Hybras off his list.

He tried to remember what had happened. He was in his room, thinking about that lost demoness in Hybras and he heard someone enter his home. At first he thought it was Qwan or Qweffor (who had been recently working out ever since he got Abbot's body.), but it wasn't either of them. He thought somebody must've opened the wrong door, so he decided to ignore it and go back to his own things. And then it happened.

Somebody poked him behind the head, and when he turned to see who it was, he saw a pretty girl with her fist raised, and then she punched him rather hard. He immediately fell into a peaceful slumber afterwards.

When No1 had woken up, he found himself strained to a seat his hands and legs tied to a chair. He tried to yell, but realized that his mouth was covered with a piece of cloth that smelled ghastly, but sweet at the same time. Perfume, he had mused happily, I wish the other demons could've said that word...Urgh, smells bad, but nice too... Now, where am I?

"Oh, you finally woke up." A cold female voice said.

No1 looked around. He saw the pretty girly sitting in a far corner, looking at him with interest with those hypnotizing, but cold eyes. No1 tried to say something, but his voice was muffled because of the cloth. He tried to look sorry to see if at least she would let him talk. He got his wish granted, because at that moment, she snaped her fingers and two identical males came scurrying towards her.

"Mervall, untie that cloth from his mouth, Descant, get me a bottle of water. Now!" She ordered.

Don't be such a meanie, No1 thought as Mervall untied his mouth, you could try to be polite. He wanted to say this very badly, but decided against it.

"Where am I?" No1 blurted out as soon as he could speak.

She didn't answer until a minute later.

"No, I am not going to tell you yet. I ask the questions here." She responded coldly, taking her bottle of water. "Mervall, Descant, leave."

Both twins bowed, and left.

"Oh," No1 looked crestfallen. "Alright."

"Now, tell me," She got up and walked towards him. "You're a warlock, I presume?"

"Oh yes. Why?"

"I ask the questions!"

"Sorry!" No1 said quickly before this creature lost it again.

She ignored his apology. "I heard you're a novice with magic, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh. But I'm getting quite good at it. Master Qwan, one of the warlocks says that I'll..." He blabbered, but at the sight of this creature fuming gently made him stop.

"Well, for a novice, you're supposed to be the most powerful warlock of all times... Isn't that interesting?"

No1 blushed.

"Hmm, you could be useful for my plan," She muttered to herself rather than to No1. "I just need to put you where he can find you..."

No1 decided to talk. "I was wondering if you could tell me where I am. It's not a question. Well, it kind of is, but it's reinstated. You see-" No1 said.

Se was aghasted for a moment. "Just stay quiet! We're in Cancún, Mexico."

"What's Mexico?" He asked, looking at her.

"Goodness, you can't be stupid!" She shouted. "And don't look at me! It's bad for my skin!"

"I'm not stupid!" He pouted. "I was just wondering why I'm here, or why you need me."

She calmed down a bit. "That, you will find out soon at the right time."

No1 still had no idea what she was talking, or why he was in this place, wherever it was. All he knew was that he wasn't going to like this one bit.

The beautiful creature walked toward a counter and looked for something. At last, she got up and held what appeared to be a needle and some transparent liquid in her hands. She smiled in a nasty fashion.

"This might hurt a bit," She laughed maniatically, sticking the needle into his arm. It hurt indeed.

No1 thought his insides were on fire as the liquid spread through his system. The last thing he heard was some crazy laughter coming from her, and it slowly faded away as he slowly passed out, the pain dissapearing too.

So now he was in this strange Cancún, in some Mexico, and he had no idea where his captors were. He stood up. He still felt dizzy after the shot, but decided to walk somewhere where it wasn't dark. After five minutes he decided not to leave his spot. He lay down for a moment and looked at the sky above. In Hybras, the sky had a bloody red tinge, and sometimes No1 could've sworn that maybe it was blood, but this thought just made him queasy. However, this navy blue darkness was beautiful, and those little white sparkles made it prettier than it already was.

He looked at them with some attention. No1 could make out some figures. For instance, he made out a group of stars form a crab, and some minutes later, he formed out a lordly lion. He didn't know what exactly a lion was, but according to the miniature dictionary in his mind, a lion was a carnivore that happened to be on top of the food chain, and was part of the feline family and known as the king of the jungle and lived in some areas of Africa. For a moment, No1 wished he was a lion. He thought that maybe being a lion would scare that mean girl. He laughed for a moment and kept wondering about why he was here. Then he saw the constelation of Orion and he was instantly reminded of someone. Maybe that boy, Artemis Fowl the Second could help him. But how to contact him? And then he remembered something that the pretty female had said while he was unconscious. He had heard the name 'Artemis' somewhere in her conversation, along with the word 'Cancún.' Could it be that he was here too?

With this powerful thought, he stood up, and started to walk foward, happy that he was going to find some help.

No1 could tell that he was in the heart of this little mini jungle, because after ten minutes, he didn't feel like he went very far. He went on and on, ocasionally stopping to catch his breath, or to wipe the sweat off his face. Honestly, he thought as he walked on, how can the people that live here stand this heat?

Out of nowhere, he heard the swish of waves and he knew that he was close, and it also answered his question about the heat. No1 thought he heard a sob as he almost neared the end of this walk. He thought it was Artemis, but before he could call out his name, an enormous branch feel out from a high tree, and it embraced No1 painfully.

**Templo del Zafiro, Cancún, Mexico**

The song had ended and Ali had run into the darkness of the night.

Everyone in the restaurant looked surprised for a moment, and after five seconds, everyone went back to their usual conversation as if nothing ever happened.

The girl in punk clothes announced the next song _Tu Dulce Voz_ and Juliet and Minerva offered to sing this song to keep the show alive. Artemis didn't care what happened afterwards because now he cared to apologize for once in his life. While everyone paid attention to the two blonds upstage, Artemis stood and ran behind Ali's pace. He decided against runing after two seconds because his legs easily got tired, so he decided to walk, but in a quick pace.

"Hey Arty, where are you going?" Juliet yelled when she noticed Artemis walk away. He looked above his shoulder and saw Butler give Juliet an understanding glance that clearly stated to leave Artemis alone for a while. He was grateful at once for Butler's understanding even though he had never believed Butler to have experience in these things.

Artemis the Second saw the entrance door and pushed it out of the way as he pulled it back and all he saw were some passing cars in the busy street, the rush of the waves not very far away, and the full moon shining over the pools, giving the water an awstruck view.

The young Irish boy waited for the traffic lights to turn red and he crossed the street, and instead of stepping into concrete floor as he walked on, he felt the soft beach floor under his black shoes. Artemis hoped his shoes didn't get ruined after this, but pushed this thought away. We walked on till he saw a small figure sitting on the floor beach. Apparently it was clasping its knees, and shaking rather gently. Artemis Fowl II walked up behind Alison.

"Ali, I mean, Alison, are you alright?" He asked uncertainly, not having any experience when it came to sad girls.

She didn't hear him. She didn't seem to notice he was here at all. He looked closer. He could see a pair of earpieces stuck to her ears. In one hand, she had an iPod. The Fowl heir poked her gently on the shoulder. She looked around, eyes shining brightly.

"Is it alright if I sit with you?"

She nodded, looking back at the deep turquoise sea.

"What are you listening to?" He asked, trying to sound interested as he sat down.

Ali handed him an earpiece. "Judge yourself," She answered in a rather high voice.

Artemis noticed that he was listening to _Tal vez después_ over again.

"You really like this song, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes I do," She answered, giving him a watery smile.

"Well, it's quite catchy..."

She didn't say anything.

"May I ask why you're sad in such a beautiful night?"

She sighed. "Greg. That's the reason."

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Artemis said, thinking about ordering Butler to scare Greg a bit.

"No, but I'll be hurting myself because of him..." She started to cry.

Artemis was on the verge of backing away, not wanting anyone to cry on his shoulders, but he thought that maybe he should try and be a bit sensible, so he put an arm around her. Ali leaned on his shoulders, and he could feel her shaking. And then a thought hit him.

"You like him, I suppose?" He asked, but not noticing the question coming out of his lips, patting her gently on the back. Then he felt some pain inside him, but it wasn't physical.

She nodded silently.

"But why-" Artemis began, but Ali responded before he could finish. He didn't like being interupted, but he didn't mind.

"I met him in seventh grade. At first I didn't pay attention to him because he was the quiet and shy one from the classroom, and besides I liked this guy named Adam. I thought he was alright at first but then, almost towards the end of the year, I noticed I was hurting myself every time I tried and talk to him, but he would just ignore me."

"That's not very gentleman like," Artemis said, looking down at her.

"I know, but still, I didn't give up. Then eighth grade came, and things changed. Well, _I_ changed. I wasn't the shy little girl that came to school one day, but I was ready to face life no matter how bad it was. But still, Adam didn't notice me. He never did. Then sometime, halfway through the year, I was working with Greg on a algebra assignment. I worked in algebra with Greg almost the whole year because we were math partners... anyway, I was sitting with him and it kind of dawned on me that he was rather... cute and an amazing guy..." She paused for a moment and looked at Artemis,who was frowning slightly, and went on. "I thought I was being stressed out because from all people, Greg was unexpected, and he kind of got deep in me. He's quiet, yeah, but he's also funny, sweet, and a bit more mature than the rest of the other guys, except Joseph, he's a jem that you don't find anywhere. I was happy." A few tears fell on the sand.

Then came April, and my parents told me and my younger sister, Michelle, that we had to go to Mexico and get their visas. I didn't need one, I was already an American citizen by birth. The day my parents went to their little meeting, they came back with no visa. Nothing.

A few days later my parents decided to send me back to the States to live with my aunt and uncle for the last three weeks of school I had left. I tried to live to the fullest with those weeks I had, but I couldn't, I was scared of what would happen. My graduation night was memorable, though. I've never seen anyone look so elegant. The guys looked rather handsome, and the girls looked really pretty. It was such a night!"

Artemis listened carefully to her story, and he thought it was rather harsh how this country could be. She went on.

"That night brought back a lot of memories, and once it was over, I decided to say goodbye to everyone for a few weeks, not realizing what was going to happen afterwards. When I went over to Greg, I still had no idea why I was doing this, but I meant to do it. I gave him a hug, and nearly cried on his shoulders. I felt it was a sincere hug, and it was warm. I didn't want it to end, but I had to. Adam did the same, but it wasn't warm, but icy, so I let go of him as quickly as I could, and I left. I arrived at Mexico the next day, and a month later to find out that the embassy didnt give my parents the visas after a second chance. They thought my dad was a fraud, under a false name. But it wasn't true!" She added hastily, looking at the fourteen-year-old's shocked face. "It was over. That embassy destroyed our lives. My life. I was ready to fulfill my dreams, and some hell of a place crushed them. This is the last time I'll see Greg, or anyone for the last time, and I'll stay in Mexico for a while." She finished the story, looking miserable. "I'll never get used to goodbyes."

Artemis didn't know what to say or how to react, but just thinking that he might not see her again made his stomach clench rather painfully, but he ignored it as much as he could.

"I never noticed that girls were _that_ sensible," He said without thinking. "I must read some more psychology books on girl emotions."

"You won't find what girls feel in a book," She said fiercely, wiping the sea of tears away, looking at the boy who was still holding on to her. "What we feel comes from our hearts, not from our minds. We think over things before acting, we understand what love means, and if you were a girl, you'd understand me better, wouldn't you?"

The boy sighed. "Sorry if I was acting like a complete idiot. I do seem to understand how you're feeling. And if it helps," He patted her gently on the shoulders again. "I apologize for what happened earlier. It was juvenile, and I didn't mean to."

She laughed between a sob.

"You didn't have to. I should be sorry for what I said. I was in a bad mood."

"Oh really?"

"Yep," She looked a bit happier now. She lay on the sand, her hand pointed to the stars. Artemis did the same, still grasping her.

"Let's change the subject: You're a Virgo, aren't you?" She asked, pointing at a group of stars above Artemis.

"Yes. Virgos are very intelectual, organized and serious." Artemis said matter-of-factly to her.

"And shy." She quipped.

"Yes, that too." And his mind worked out what she said. "I'm not shy, am I?"

"I don't know, I just met you yesterday! You know, if being a genius were a crime, you'd be public enemy number one!" She joked.

"Thank God it isn't, then." He smiled, and it was his turn to point towards the heavens. "You were born in August? Then you're a Leo, aren't you?"

"Oh yes."

"Well, let's see, Leos are loyal, proud, bossy, with a fiery personality, and easily get angry according to astrologers, and so far, they're right." He added his vampire smile to make the effect.

"You like to make people suffer don't you?" She said with a soft voice.

"Well, I suppose it's natural ability, according to people I know, but it all comes down to psychology if you think about it."

"Too much pschology for me, to be honest," She argued. "I mean, I don't want to show off, but I'm pretty smart where I come from, and I can speak two languages and now I'm trying to learn a third, I'm excellent at Algebra and people still call me crazy."

"I know, it happens to me always, but nobody understands. But let me give a guess: Italian or Portuguese." He said impressively.

"How'd you guess?"

"Simple, Italian and Portguese are the languagues closest to Spanish, and they're going to be simpler to learn than French or German, but they're no exactly hard."

"I know, but still, school can be a bit hectic, but then again, I can tell you like challenges, young man." She added, looking surprised. "We better go back. We don't want them to worry would we?"

"I wouldn't mind, you know. I like talking to you-" He was silently stunned for a minute. He didn't expect to let this slip. He looked at her and he could tell that she blushed. To ignore the uncomfortably, yet flattering looks, they both got up.

He walked away, and then he felt a soft poke on his shoulder and next he knew, he was being hugged by Alison. It was like she had said, it was warm and nice.

"Thanks," Ali muttered. "I might not see you again, but remember that I won't forget you. Never."

He returned it by saying 'Any time for a friend.' When she let go, he looked at her straight in the eye, and then she held his hand.

"Friends?" Ali asked, holding it tightly.

He thought for a moment. "Yes, friends." He held her tightly too.

"Well, no more fights or-" The American-Mexican girl began.

Then they heard an earsplitting scream that sounded like 'Artemis!' from a little forest of tropical trees.

"Did you-"

"I did. Someone's looking for me," Artemis said firmly. "Let's see who our mystery friend is."

Artemis knew that walking into a place without knowing what lay ahead was dangerous, but he knew that voice. He pulled her hand and together they ran towards the trees.

"Artemis!" No1 yelped again.

"It came from that way!" Ali cried, pointed to the left.

The boy nodded, and started walking in that direction. They got a bit deeper, they noticed, as their hands got scratched and bled. Artemis didn't mind the scratches, as he knew that they would heal instantly with the magic he had stolen while saving Hybras. He saw little sparks of blue jumping randomly at the places where blood appeared. Then he began to worry. The sparks were also jumping at his companion's bleeding fingers, and he wasn't keen to tell her that he had magic in him, so he broke from her grasp, but she didn't notice, too busy following Artemis.

From twenty feet away, he could see a little creature howling with pain, trying to budge somthing that appeared to be squashing his legs. It kept yelling his name.

"Artemis, please help me!" It gasped, the air in his lungs running out.

Both teens ran to the creature's direction, and when he was face to face with it, he knew instantly that he was right.

"No1, what happened?" Artemis asked him urgently, not noticing the tree branch.

"Tree branch! _Cayo_ on top of _moi_..." He said feebly, and then he giggled.

Just what they needed, a hallucinating warlock about to faint.

Artemis ignored the fact that he was switching languagues, and tried to budge the oversized branch away, but he couldn't muster all his strength. He turned to Ali.

"Help me!"

But she looked terrified and confused at the sight of the warlock.

"Look, I'll explain later, but help me!"

She was still wide-eyed, but nodded all the same. She moved closer, leaned, and together, they moved it. It didn't work the first time.

"Okay," She whispered wide-eyed. "on the count of three, we push this with all the strength we can give."

"Okay then," Artemis responded shortly. "One, two, THREE!"

This time, it budged at least ten centimeters, giving No1 space to wiggle out. He was free.

"Thanks, both of you!" No1 moved gingerly and hugged both of them at the same time. Well, he hugged both their waists.

He finally let go of them, and started to try his leg for resistance. He jumped, skipped and then he ran, unfortunately tripping over a small rock. His night vision wasn't the best, Artemis guessed, and then he turned to Alison, who was still surprised in a terrified sort of way. He seemed to know what was going on her head. Seeing one of the Creatures wan't what you expected to see after you had forgiven a friend you had just met.

"What _is_ that?" She gasped.

"A warlock." He said weakly.

She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she fainted. Artemis groaned. Not her, too!

Artemis waited ten minutes for Ali to wake up, and for No1 to stop skipping. Once they were around, he ordered them to sit on the nearby oversized branch they had saved the little creature earlier. The young Fowl turned to the brown-eyed girl first.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"How do you expect me to feel right now? Some creature appears out of nowhere, looking for you!"

He looked guilty for a moment, and then No1 spoke.

"I'm actually a warlock if you must know...umm.."

"Alison. Well, call me Ali if you want." she answered, calming down.

"Yes, Ali. Nice name, by the way," No1 smiled brightly. "And all the ways you can spell it!"

"Umm...Thanks."

She still seemd a bit shaken, but Artemis's confident look in his eyes made her regain fierceness.

"Who the hecky are you?"

"No1's my name. I heard you yelling about why I know Artemis, and that's because he kind of rescued me from that pretty blond girl with glasses. She grew up, even if Arty hasn't." He noticed.

"Wait. Minerva also knows about this?" She looked at Artemis.

"Yes, she's known for a few years now." Artemis responded.

"And what does it mean when he said that Minerva grew up even if you haven't?"

Artemis actually chuckled. "It's a rather long story..."

"I'm all ears, then."

"Ha, me too!" No1 smiled, looking eager.

Artemis explained to them in a reluctant how he had met Holly Short a few years previously, (leaving out the fact that he had kidnapped her), of how he, Holly, Butler and Commander Root (his voice trailed of for a moment.) had helped save his father during the Artic incident, how they had dealt with Jon Spiro, and how they had defeated Opal and her sinister plan to bring two world together and going of to war. He told them in full detail of how some demons from Hybras where appearing on earth, thus making Artemis and Minerva meet each other. He wanted to stop, but both pushed him on and he was forced to tell them about the time incident, Abott, and of himself being three years older than he should've been. He finished his tale with his face looking paler than usual.

"You're not fourteen, then?" Ali asked crestfallen. "You're seventeen?"

"In theory,yes, but I'm still fourteen, as if nothing had changed. I'll be fifteen in a month and a bit's time."

"But why-"

"We were all going in a surge, and nobody expected this to happen. I made my parents suffer for three years without knowing it, and once I came back, I was told I had twin brothers bu the names of Myles and Beckett."

"That was some darn time surge."

"Yes, but it was worth it."

"Your father lost his leg?" No1 wondered.

"Yes, but he has a prosthetic leg now,"

"Ahh...prosthetic, that's a nice word!" No1 yawned afterwards.

"Indeed." Artemis smiled. He looked at the small creature for a moment until it fell asleep next to a bog. Ali looked at No1.

"So it is real after all. Magic." She replied.

"Of course it is. Want proof?" He showed her his left hand and she held it. "My index finger switched places with the middle one. It was the time traveling again, but before I met Minerva." He felt her stroking them, and she noticed it.

"Oh, wow."

"And also..." He got close to her, their noses about five centimeters away from each other. He touched one of his pupils, and removed a rather small, bluish object. Ali looked into his eyes, even if it was dark. She saw it.

"One of your eyes is brown, and the other is blue. Time travel again?"

He nodded, and put the saphire blue pupil back in his eye. "One of my eyes switched with Holly's, the fairy that's been a great friend.

She sighed and walked away from him, sitting next to No1, and looking at him.

"He is kind of adorable, after all." She concluded, stroking the warlock's marked head.

"In a demon-like sort of way, he is." He sighed, and then he had to ask. "How badly do you like Greg?"

She looked at him."That was random...Well, I really do like him. He makes me happy. Why so curious?"

"That's it, just curiousity. And in your graduation, did you two..." He didn't finish.

"Kiss?" Ali guessed.

"Yes." Artemis said.

"No." Ali responded.

"Oh, right."

She smiled. "Now that I think about it, I hope he doesn't remember that hug...or that night."

She shook her head in the dark, Artemis could sense it. She made her way towards him until he heard a loud _thump_ on the humid ground, and then a groan. She tripped. He could hear her crawling, feeling her way towards him, and out of the unexpected, he felt a hand on his knee.

"I take that's your knee, Artemis?"

"Yes, but next time, warn me you're coming my way."

"Oh, sorry."

"I heard you groan. Are you alright?"

"I felt something sharp jab my knee. I think it got badly scraped, and it stings so badly..." She tried to sit up in the darkness, and almost collapsed. "Ow!"

"That doesn't sound like you're alright, let me see how bad it is. Hopefully it won't get infected..."

"It's not that bad."

"I'll be the judge of that."

She groaned, gave him her right leg, and Artemis blindly felt his way to her knee. He couldn't help but ask her again.

"Alison..."

"Ali, just call me Ali."

"About earlier..."

"Artemis," She began but he cut her off.

"Look, no matter how many times I say it, I really feel bad for what happened, and I want to apologize, to say sorry."

"And I already accepted your apology. No hard feelings."

"Still..."

"Look, I'll admit it, an argument was a bad way to start our friendship, and that the things that we said were horrible, but Artemis, I'm forgiving you. I'm putting those things you said to me in the past."

"I wish I could say that with simplicity, but I can't, I really don't want this on my conscience. I can't stand being the cold, selfish boy I was in the past. That's the reason I'm doing this right now, I want to hear that you actually mean what you say, that you're listening to me."

"But I am..."

"But at least be honest and tell me that you hated me for that."

She gave him a small smile in the darkness. "Look at me in the eyes, and tell me that I hate you with all my might. Tell me."

He did. He saw no coldness in them, and he couldn't bring himself to say what she had asked him. In fact, they seemed to be saying something else, something that wasn't meant to be said, but Artemis found it strange that he understood, but at the same time, didn't at all.

"See? I can't hate you at all."

"Neither can I." Artemis finally said.

"So, I do forgive you, and let's forget that this ever happened. We're friends, remember?"

He smiled at her, and that moment was followed by a warm silence, and Artemis replaced that by moving his hand blindly to the injury once more. His hand was quickly sumerged in a pool of dark red blood.

"That's not my knee. You're a bit above it."

"I know, I'm trying to feel how big it is, that's all... See, you got cut here too..."

"Well, I'm a girl, I have my reasons to tell you off, don't yo think?"

He poked the little pool of blood softly, and out of the unexpected, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, his body on the floor, and realized that Ali had kicked him with the wounded leg, and she yelped afterwards, yelling '_No me toques ahi!"_ or 'Don't touch me there!'. Artemis regained his composure and sat down again, avoiding touching the spot again, ignoring the incident. He wiped the dirt of his jacket, but couldn't ignore the painful sore in his chest. Alison was more than what she seemed to be.

"Oh, snap!" Ali yelped, heaving herself towards him, touching his chest. "I didn't mean to, it just came out of the unexpected. I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine..." He coughed a bit, and a droplet of blood came out of his lips. He decided not to mention any of this to her, but it was too late, she had noticed it.

"No you're not! There's a horrible bump here, can't you feel it?" Her hand motioned his hand to feel his heaving chest. "I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry!"

Of course he did, he felt there was some sort of ball stuck in his chest, making him feel a bit weak, but suddenly, he felt some magic scurry inside of him, and it healed him instantly. He decided not to answer her. He reached out for her leg and felt his way again upwards and suddenly felt the warmth of her blood on his hand again, and it seemed to have gotten worse. It seemed pretty serious to him, not being able to see in the darkness, but then he felt some bone tissue stroking his fingers. She had scraped her flesh away cleanly, along with some tissue.

Not expecting to to this, he dug his finger in the bloody wound and he called out the magic in his insides, which gave him a feeling of happiness and warmth inside him, and said 'Heal.'

The magic popped out of his fingers and began junping in and out of her skin. With the faint blue light, he saw her knee cap almost sticking out before her skin restitched itself and her blood going back inside of her, leaving a faint, but fresh scar. She looked amazed.

"You didn't mention anything about having magic."

"I didn't want to mention it at all, but it was an emergency. When I was traveling to Hybras, there was some amount of magic just floating around, and I decided to embrace it, and I became... well, magical. The deadly bump in my chest is gone. I don't feel any pain anymore. You don't have to worry about anything."

"Oh, well, that's great, and thanks so much."

"Like I said, anytime." Artemis nodded.

"Look, I owe you one."

"You don't. I didn't want to see you harmed."

"But still, I'm not saying word of this to anyone if it matters that much."

"That'd be great, so thanks."

She took his hand. "Don't worry, just trust me."

It started to rain heavely, droplets of salty and sweet water showering them with great delight.

"I already do." Artemis responded, his raven black hair already sopping wet, smiling... and blushing.

**Alright, ****now it's clear that Artemis might be developing feelings for Alison, so I want to apologize for those H/A and M/A shippers, but please don't kill me, I haven't turned fifteen yet! But tell me, who thinks it's adorable that Artemis is blushing and maybe falling by a girl that seems to be an opposite? People, there is more to Ali than meets the eye... I just felt like giving them another chance to talk and give Arty the opportunity to apologize for what he said on the second chapter and I had to get Alison hurt so Artemis could finish telling her about himself, though that particular accident happened to my younger cousin.**

**Now, I can't promise regular posting because ****of the amounts of homework I get, then writing out more chapters and getting writer blocks (which are mild now), but I suppose that the high school entrance-registration exams are taking most of my time (In this country, the high school you get into will decide the college you will get in the future) so it's all stress. But please, don't give up on this story, I will try my best every week. Again, thank you for reading this. Please R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5: A powerful influence

**This is chapter five... and I couldn't come up with a better title for it, but well, I hope you can guess what the powerful influence is.**

**I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS © Eoin Colfer**

**I DON'T OWN **_**LOLA, ERASE UNA VEZ**_** OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS****© Televisa Mexico**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

**Chapter 5: A powerful influence**

**Templo del Zafiro, Cancún**

"What do you think they're doing?" Minerva asked rather grudgingly.

"Is somebody jealous?" Juliet toyed with her.

People where still singing with energy, and by the time Juliet and Minerva finished their song, Butler and Greg were asked to sing along with the girls again. Greg completely ignored the offer, while Butler looked threatengly, popping his knuckles.

"I'm not jealous!" She looked offended.

"Well, some birdie tells me you look like you're jealous when you aren't, but it probably thinks you still are because you are!"

"What?" Butler, Minerva and Greg asked together.

"Oh, forget it!"

"You know, they have been out there for a while... you don't think there's something wrong, do you?" Butler asked. He knew he shouldn't have let Artemis alone, but he was a growing boy, and he needed his own space sometimes.

"Anything's possible in this country, it supposed to be one of the most dangerous country in this continent, but..." Juliet looked at Butler furious eyes. "That's just what my friends in this country tell me, and I think they're trying to scare me... But no, I don't think there's anything wrong with them. They might be talking about stuff, or...ha, ha, maybe they're already thinking of going out..."

"You're joking, aren't you?" Butler arched his eyebrow.

"Hmm, yeah." She sighed deeply.

"You know, I'm getting tired of sitting here and listening to this RBD," Butler informed, stretching.

"But I actually like them!" Minerva chided. "They're music is quite nice, and I totally love '_Tras de mi_' and '_Era la musica'_!"

"Well, sorry to break it to you, but I can't leave Artemis alone, even if it's with a girl!"

"Fine, fine..."

Butler paid the bill, and the four people walked towards the warm summer air.

**Near the Templo del Zafiro, Cancún**

"We have to go back." Artemis said, his hair dripping with so much water it seemed he had just stepped out of the shower.

"I know, but No1 fell asleep, and I don't want to wake him up!" Ali responded. She had grown fond of No1 in a matter of minutes.

"Well, we'll have to wake him up , I wouldn't be surprised if Butler's wondering where we are." He prodded No1 on the back.

"Wake up No1." Artemis said firmly, poking him a bit harder till he woke up.

"Mommy!" He yelled, sitting straight.

"Stop blabbering, we have to go, we're in a hurry!"

"Alright, but it would be nice if you said 'please'!"

"Oh dear, sorry for not mentioning it," Artemis answered sarcastically, helping the little creature get up. "It's raining, and we don't want to risk people seeing you right now. Come on!"

The three of them walked towards the end, and after ten long, sweaty and wer minutes, they heard the loud swishing of waves and its salty aroma. When No1 saw the turquoise sea, he couldn't help but leap with joy, and ran towards it, splashing himself.

"No, No1, we don't have time for this!" Artemis shouted at No1, hoping he would hear him, but he didn't. He was too excited to hear the genius boy. He turned to Ali.

"Why isn't-"

But he just stared at her. She was untying her sneakers and rolling her socks away. He stared at her incrediously.

"We seriously don't have time for this, Ali!" Artemis hissed.

"Oh, please!" she said beseechengly. "Don't be such a kill joy!"

Artemis sighed and considered for a moment. At last, he nodded, while the rain softened to small sprinkles. He waited.

They seemed so happy, both splashing each other, carefree. Artemis wished he could've joined them, but his intelectual side told him to remain rooted on the spot, telling him to act like a mature adolescent. _You don't have time to act like a child_, his intellectuality said, _there are more important things to do_.

Artemis wanted to roll his eyes, so he just slapped his hands to his head, brushing some of his black locks out of his face. Surely it wouldn't hurt to become a child for a minute? Just once?

Still thinking about, he took his shoes off, rolled of his socks, and felt the wet, but warm sand on his toes, giving him a funny, ticklish sensation he was never used to. He walked slowly, trying to remember the sensation until he felt the freezing water embracing his feet. He shuddered for a moment, and regretting it a second later, he got his whole Armani suit ruined and salty. He ignored it and was instantly pushed into a sitting position by No1. He put on his best vampire smile on his face and pushed him back.

Artemis ran away from No1 and went to the other side. He turned around to see No1 behind him, beaming and then came a happy Ali their way until No1 magically pulled them together, and pushing them into the water. Artemis opened his eyes and saw he was on top of her, and she looked flustered.

"What did you do that for?" Artemis asked loudly.

"You two look splendid together!" No1 answered. Artemis retorted by pushing him back once more, a sincere smile being drawn on his face. Ali had smiled timidly at him too.

They played in the salty, freezing water for ten whole minutes until the Fowl boy's intelectual self kicked in, reminding him of the Butlers, Minerva and Greg.

"We can do this any other day." He shattered, moving his fingers to feel some blood circulation. Both No1 and Ali looked worse than him, and with the extra water in the form of heavy rain, it didn't help very much. They both followed him, and Artemis pulled his suit jacket and gave it to No1.

"Put that on," He said quickly. "and make sure it covers your whole body."

He nodded furiously, shaking violently.

They went back, but halfway, they saw a group of people huddled together, a huge man leading the way. Butler and company had come looking for them, probably wondering why they were taking so long. Artemis and Ali ran towards them.

Butler noticed something. "What's that on your ankle?" He pointed to Ali's ankle.

"What?" She looked at it. Two little dots were engraved and bleeding. "Don't know, I didn't feel a thing."

"Oh great, it's a spider bite!" Butler examined it closer. "We need to suck the venom out of it before anything serious happens. And Artemis, you're a mess. You're wet and you have bruises and cuts on your face. What have you two been doing?"

Artemis saw Juliet elbow his older brother after he said this.

"Well... we talked about...um...stuff." Artemis said weakly, ignoring Juliet. "And we found..." He pointed to the bundle covered in Artemis's jacket. Butler and Minerva recognized it. Juliet and Greg frowned.

"Where did you-" Minerva began.

"Later." Artemis retorted.

But how come she knows-" She pointed to the other fourteen-year-old.

"I told her about it. Don't worry, she won't say a thing." _I hope_, Artemis thought.

"We need to get it inside before any sees him!" Butler whispered, making sure only Ali, Minerva and Artemis could hear him. Greg and Juliet were already looking suspiscious.

"Somebody has to ask for an invitation in there," Artemis suggested. "Ali, you do that."

"Why me?"

"You're far more believable than anyone else. Besides Artemis." Minerva added hastily, looking at Artemis with his eyebrows up high.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

They followed her, and when she reached the corner, the rest hid behind a large plant. They heard what she said.

"Hello," She said brightly in Spanish. "Is it alright if I bring in my fairy friend along with my invisible blanket?"

The clerk that the group had met earlier noticed that the girl in front of her was dripping wet. She arched her eyebrows and started to snort, but nodded.

"Yay! Thanks!" She skipped along to where the others where and they followed her wake, making sure that No1 wasn't seen. An elevator trip later, they arrived at the boys' room. Artemis fetched some towls from the bathroom and handed one to No1, who gladly dried himself, and to Ali, who wrapped herself around it, and checked the spider's bite.

"Juliet, and especially you, Greg, we have someone that might shock you a bit." Artemis concluded. "No1, come over here."

No1 obeyed and walked towards him, almost tripping.

"Take that off, it's okay now..."

The warlock revealed himself, and Juliet gasped, not out of fright, she didn't get spooked out easily, but of delight. Greg looked at it wide-eyed.

"Aww, you're so adorable! Who are you?" Juliet giggled.

"My name is No1," he said, closing in to Juliet and nibbled her forefinger. "I'm a warlock."

"Nice to meet you, er, No1. But what kind of name is that? From Warlockland?"

"It isn't much of a name, but it marked me as different from the other demons back in Hybras."

"Hybras? It sound like hell."

"Hell or Hybras, it's the same thing."

"Wow, it must've been boiling down there, with all that fire and stuff."

"Fire? No, there's only active volcanos and the red sky that looks like blood," He grimaced. "bloody red sky... Oh, I think I'm going to be sick!" He ran into the bathroom.

"The supposed fires of hell are just misnomers to the actual place," Artemis explained. "The only things they actually didn't lie about were the demons. Too warsome, and not to mention, very violent."

"You where there?" Juliet goggled.

"Yes, but I'm not planning of going there ever again, even when I die."

"You can really pick a moment for you're witty sarcasm." Butler offered his opinion.

Greg didn't say a word for a moment and he spoke.

"Are you serious? There's a demon, or warlock, or whatever it is in our room, and you expect me to believe this?"

"Yes, but you can't deny this isn't real, even if your concious tells you it's a hallucination."

"But it's not possible, is it?" he asked.

"It is possible, Greg, it's right in front of you. Well, in the bathroom."

"But why didn't you say a thing about this earlier?"

"If I had told you, would you have believed me?" Artemis asked casually.

He thought about it, and shook his head.

"See? The only way you would have believed me is if you had proof in front of you. Besides, I didn't expect him to appear tonight. Now," he said, sitting on a chair, leaning forward. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

"No. Nobody would believe me, anyway."

"Exactly."

No1 came out of the bathroom, looking better.

"Sorry about that," he smiled guiltily. "Blood is the next disgusting thing after raw meat, especially if it's still wiggling in your mouth."

"It's alright. Tell us," He looked at No1 straight in the eye. "Why are you here?"

" Somebody took me from my home," No1 said, looking at his toes. "I was just thinking about finding my mother when somebody came in and knocked me out. When I finally woke up, the first thing I saw was this pretty pixie. She had eyes as dark as chocolate," He smiled. "_Chocolate_. Nice word."

"Keep going." Butler rumbled deeply.

"Oh, hello Mr. Butler! I didn't see you!" No1 squirmed with delight.

Everyone else looked at each other. Butler wasn't that hard to miss.

"Well, she didn't say who she was, and asked me who I was and what I was. She said she needed me for something, but I didn't know what for. She told me where we were and she knocked me out by sticking a needle into my arm, and it hurt." He squirmed uncomfortably. "I think she mentioned you, Artemis."

"Oh really?"

"Yep, something about you and Cancún, and she muttered about somebody finding me."

"Well, I found you, that must've been it. Can you describe her?"

"I said she had eyes as dark as chocolate."

"I know, but anything else?"

"Lets see, black hair, and she doesn't like people looking at her or being told what to do. And she yells too much."

"Opal." Artemis breathed. "Opal kidnapped you and put you here. That's obvious."

"But why?" Minerva asked thoughfully, looking at Artemis.

"Again, obvious. She must've known that I'd be here, so she put No1 here, so I could find him. But," He stood up and paced around the room. "Last time I saw her, she was being locked up in Howler's Peak. She must've escaped." He looked at No1. "Did you see anyone else?"

"Yes, two identical people."

"Merv and Scant. Those twins that did her bidding." Artemis remembered when they sprayed Holly and him with troll pheromones. Hopefully whatever she was planning had nothing to do with trolls, it was a bad experience already having to remember that.

"Didn't you say she was some crazy pixie that actually killed?" Ali looked up.

"Naturally. Why?"

"She might want revenge after you and this Holly person defeated her." She looked nervous. "But this time, I don't think there's gonna be any mercy."

"Precisely."

"But," She added, standing up. "If N°1's here, then it means that he's part of her plan."

"That is true..." An idea hit him. "We need to go back where we found you, No1, there's something I would like to see."

"I don't really think it's a good idea." No1 looked surprised.

"But I think it is, she might have left a clue to where she is, and it's imperative to the plan she has in mind."

"Right," No1 yawned, then sneezed. "I'm pretty tired. Is anyone else?"

Everyone nodded.

"Everyone to their rooms!" Butler said, waving his hands for attention. "Good night!"

Artemis was in his bed, lying down, feeling refreshed after a second shower that day, his fingers presing the TV's remote control. He had nothing else to do besides thinking of Opal's revenge, or to read _The Laws of Freud and Jung _over again, making it the forty-seventh time he read the seven hundred paged tome. He was bored in other words, his intellect not being challenged enough, but the thought of figuring out Opal's plan just gave him a bit of satisfaction deep inside, happy for a new challenge. He flicked a channel with casualty, and landed on channel five, one of Mexico's most famous channel. It was half past nine, and the only show they had was the soap opera, _Lola, erase una vez_. Artemis always thought television was a bit of a waste of time, but this time, he felt interested in learning a bit more on Mexican culture.

Butler sat at the end of his bed, coming out of the kitchen, while Greg took a shower. "Anything interesting to watch?"

Artemis snorted softly. "Hardly, this show is completely stupid. Some of the actors aren't good at all, especially the main character, for heaven's sake."

"Oh really? Explain."

"The point of acting is for people to believe in it, to be realistic and most the cast are teens between ten and twenty-five years old, apparently, but not all of them have experience at all. Especially_ Lola_, the main character. Seventeen years old, no experience, and not good enough. She forces herself too much, just looking at her posture. And then there's this Marion girl. She's pretty,yes, but she feels attracted to her brother's best friend, who's ten years older than her, and she's only fourteen. She tries to act like some rebellious girl when she's far from it, she's more of a stuck up person... If I may say so, I like the antagonist of the story, _Carlota_, at least she's good, and she's inteligent and witty. I rather have her marry _Alexander_, no matter if she's the bad character." Artemis sighed. "In other words, this is a complete fiasco. Well, for me it is."

Butler chuckled, and Artemis smiled.

"Well, talking about the ladies," Butler actually smiled. "Why did Alison run away?"

Artemis looked behind Butler's broad figure and answered quietly. "Greg."

"What?"

"Haven't you noticed, dear friend? She likes him. After this trip, she goes back to Mexico City while Greg goes back to Missouri. It was a bit too much for her." He looked at Butler. "Are girls usually so emotional?"

"Uh-huh. Didn't you ever pay attention to how Juliet, Holly and Minerva usually react if you offend them?"

"Not really. I don't exactly worry about that." He paused to grin. "Thank heavens I have Beckett and Myles as twin brothers instead of twin sisters."

"Yes, that's a good point. Anything else happened between you two?"

"What did you expect to happen?" Artemis asked, even though he already knew.

"Don't play dumb, Artemis. You know what I mean."

Artemis decided not to play dumb."No, nothing happened if that's what you wanted to hear. We only talked about Greg, and I consoled her. We also mentioned the constellations, especially Leo and Virgo, and then we found No1. That's all. Nothing serious."

"You, console? Right..."

Butler studied him closely, as if X-raying him. Artemis Fowl was quite good at hiding his feelings, and anything else realted with that subject and even if he ever did show them, he was careful not to, because he didn't want it to be perceived as weakness. But he was growing up, and it was going to be a bit harder now, with two girls his age, or more accurately, _close _to his age by a difference of three years, next to him. He remembered vaguely when Artemis confided in him about his feelings towards Minerva when they rescued her from Billy Kong and his gang of assasins back in Taiwan. Sometimes, even though Butler would never admit it to his young charge, he couldn't believe that the little bundle of blankets he held in his arms fourteen (or seventeen.) years ago, was right in front of him, turning into a young man who still stumbled awkwardly with his emotions. Butler couldn't help but smile.

Artemis the Second noticed this.

"Why are you smiling, Butler?"

He decided to say what he thought, pride reflected in his eyes. "You're growing up, Artemis. Very fast. It seems only yesterday when you were a baby, and now look at you! You're a young man."

Artemis smiled sincerely, patting him on the shoulder"I know, old friend. Years come and go very fast, especially those lost three years I missed while in Hybras. But it was worth it. More than you can imagine."

"It was." Butler yawned, and turned to his usual stoic self. "Now, get some sleep, tomorrow might be a busy day."

Artemis rubbed his eyes. "It will, my friend, it will."

"Holly! I'm bored!" Mulch exclaimed. "And wet!"

It had rained rather heavily a few moments earlier, and he was dripping wet, and he wasn't very happy indeed. Holly didn't mind. She liked how the liquid sprayed her face. Sprayed was a gentle word to what Holly experienced when the water smacked her face.

"Shut up, Mulch! I'm trying to sleep!" Holly turned around to see her partner sitting, looking wide awake, and thoroughly annoyed.

"Seriously? You're actally tired?" Mulch looked surprised, scratching his head.

"Yes!"

"What time is it anyway?"

"God, help me!" She looked at the now cloudless night, looking desperate, her hands in mock prayer.

"Can you answer me? Please?"

"Ten o' clock. Happy?"

"Actually, yes. It's kind of funny how you look when you're annoyed!"

Holly couldn't help smiling, and responded to this witty comment.

"Did you know it's kind of funny how you look when you're knocked out?" Holly asked innocently, raising her fist. Mulch winced for a moment.

"Oh, funny..." Mulch looked at her reproachfully, but laughed. "I should write that down."

"Now, can you stay quiet for a few hours?" Holly begged to Mulch, who still looked amused.

"I suppose I can try..." he said, mimicking casual thoughtfulness. "But I wish we could just tell Arty everything right now!"

"Hate to break it to you, but wait until tomorrow."

Muclh ignored her. "Wish we could just call him or something..."

Holly looked at the pungent dwarf and a memory snapped in her head. She remebered when she had given the Mud Boy a tiny fairy communicator after setting Opal in Howler's Peak. Of course! Foaly had forgotten about the communicator incident, and decided to wait until tomorrow to find Artemis. Well, she thought absently, I might as well call him now, maybe that might keep Mulch quiet for a second.

"Hey, Mulch," Holly called out, snapping into reality, looking excitingly at the dwarf, who was trying to suck a worm out of the warm earth. "Stop doing that!"

"Ehh?" Mulch garbled, the worm hanging from the corner of his mouth. He sucked it. "Sorry, I was hungry."

"Listen, we can tell Artemis now, he has a fairy communicator, and I have one too."

"Great! I was getting tired of being here!"

"Yeah, whatever," Holly took out the communicator and channeled Artemis's. It was easier because they were at a closer range, so it didn't take that long. He answered on the first vibration.

"Holly?"

"Artemis, we need to talk."

Artemis was already drifting into a peaceful slumber when he felt something wiggle in his middle finger. He sat up alarmed, and realized it was the fairy communicator disguised as a ring, given to him by Holly. He turned the ring and folded his three middle fingers and pulled them to his ear.

"Holly?" He asked softly, trying to not wake anybody up.

"Artemis, we need to talk."

"Now? It's a bit late."

He heard a disgruntled sigh on the other line, sounding like a great rush of static.

"Alright, I suppose you want to tell me Opal escaped?"

"Uh, yeah, but how did you know? I was supposed to tell you until tomorrow, but then I remembered the fairy communicator." Holly explained. "Don't tell me you hacked into Foaly's database?"

"Actually, no. Kicked the habit... For now. Look, No1 appeared somewhere near the hotel a few hours ago, and he told us everything."

"Us?"

"There's Butler, Juliet, Greg, Minerva and Alison."

"Oh, you have two girlfriends now? You're pretty lucky, Artemis."

Artemis tried to come up with some snappy comeback, but it was the second time he couldn't come up with a girlfriend crack, but deep inside, even though he would never admit to anyone, not even to himself, he felt some inmense satisfaction at the though of two pretty girls that didn't mind being with him, even though he had a sophisticated way of talking. Maybe girls thought it was the most attractive thing in a boy.

"Do you think I have time for girlfriends now?" Artemis asked, frowning.

"Oh, I don't know, Mud Boy, you're changing." Holly commented. "You're even starting to joke!"

Artemis chuckled. "Well, I did tell you I'd be keeping out an eye out for you, and look what happened."

"Yes, well, but I'm not wrong with the girlfriend crisis. You managed to attract Minerva, and if I'm not mistaken, you'll get pretty Alison too. Don't worry, she'll come to you."

"Who said anything of me liking her?" Artemis asked carefully, blushing a dull pink.

"I can see your face from my communicator. Believe it or not, but I've never seen you blush!"

Artemis didn't say anything. Holly noticed his slight discomfort.

"It's normal to like girls. And it's kind of obvious you're crushing on someone, if you ask me. And I think it might be little Ali...Or maybe Minerva again. You're the only one that knows."

Artemis pondered. "Both of them are very different. Minerva's intelligent, witty, funny,pretty, and she understands me. We're genii. But Ali..."

"What about her?" Holly asked casually.

"She's also smart, she's witty, proud, and has a fiery personality, and she's rather forceful and strong too, but I really don't mind it, it's her nature, and I like that about her, but more because she's sharp and seems more than just a pretty, athletic, bilingual girl. There's something in her that intrigues me, but it is unreadable. And... she's also...well..." Artemis rubbed his raven hair.

Holly pushed him on. "Go on."

"She's really pretty. Beautiful, actually. I never thought puberty could be this strong. Without noticing it, I get distracted a bit because of her. And those eyes..."

Holly regained her seriousness. She didn't like how this was turning. "What about the eyes?"

"Sometimes I feel I get hypnotized by her dark eyes. I don't mind it, but sometimes I feel I get lost for a moment."

"Artemis," snapped Holly in his ear. "Sorry to break it to you, but we can talk about this anytime but there's something about her eyes that seems familiar to me, and I don't like it at all. We need to find Koboi before she destroys the world!"

Artemis came back to his usual features. "Yes, we do. Sorry about getting detailed on this subject. Will you mind not mentioning any of this to anyone?"

"What? You can't hide your feelings?"

"I can actually manage that, but... Look," He lay down on his bed, his hand still linked to his ear. "I trust you Holly, and someday I'll be ready to talk about this, alright? You're the first one to know about this."

"Fine, but I need to see you. Bring the others if you have to. I take they already saw No1?"

"As a matter of fact, they all did. Meet us at the entrance at ten. Shield if you don't mind, I might be able to spot you."

"Right then, but what about Mulch?"

"Oh, you brought Mr. Diggums here too?"

"Yeah, and he's not enjoying it very much. The sun might ruin his chances with the ladies."

"Well, don't bring him, leave him wherever you two are right now. He might be a bit of a distraction if you get my point."

"Yeah I get it, we're in Islas Mujeres or something like that for your information. Okay Artemis. I'll see you tomorrow then. And be careful. Bye." With that, she closed the link and Artemis turned his communicator once more into a ring.

He felt a bit lighter, he noticed as he closed his eyes. It felt rather warm when you confided with a friend what you felt, especially when you talked about girls with your friend that happens to be a fairy girl.

So, who's it going to be? Artemis asked himself, drifting off, Minerva or Alison?

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**I thought I wasn't going to be posting in weeks, but I got lucky, so I decided to post.**

**Well, this chapter wasn't very action-packed, but I think the only action going on in here is the tornado of feelings inside Artemis towards Minerva and Ali, and now Holly knows about it. Again, difficult to get Artemis's head straight, but I feel pleased with what I came up with. Did you like this chappie?**

_**Lola, erase una vez **_**is a Mexican soap opera which ended in November 2007. I wasn't too fond of it, and apparently, Artemis despised it.**

**PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6: Tracing back

**YAY! Chapter 6!! Thanks to all the people that have reviewed my fanfic, and I think you know who I'm talking about… YOU! Thankies!**

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**Chapter 6****: Tracing back**

It was already ten minutes before ten in the morning, and everyone was having breakfast in a calm fashion. No1 had to stay in Artemis's room, and he told the hotel workers not to enter his room for personal reasons (Artemis had come up with the story that he had a fear for people touching his belongings. The workers didn't actually believe him until he told them he'd be calling his lawyers back in Ireland and when Butler cracked his fingers, looking menacing.)

Artemis was having some freshly baked bread with butter, along with some Earl Grey tea when he looked at Ali and Minerva, who were talking to each other rather enthusiastically, and smiling radiant smiles. He decided to turn away and drank some of the warm tea. He never had diffilculty with decisions, usually choosing the one that suited him best, but this one was difficult, and it didn't suit him at all.

"...I guess we're all afraid of spiders. It's a rational fear, but they don't actually harm you unless they actually have to." Minerva commented.

"But dear Minerva! There's also the _rational _fear of a hairy eight-legged creature!" Alison said sarcastically.

Artemis remembered the spider bite from last night, and he just wondered right now why Alison was looking rather healthy, actually, healthier than ever, but at the same time, she looked a bit pale, but her eyes were shinning at their fullest, brighter than the stars.

"Are you feeling alright?" Artemis leaned towards her, who turned around. She looked dazzled for a moment.

"What? I mean, yeah, I am!" She said happily, but at the same time, confused.

"Let me look at your ankle."

"Ankle? Righty then."

She showed him. He looked for it and found that it wasn't there at all. He looked harder...No, it wasn't there at all. Artemis looked dumbfounded for the first time.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's gone. The mark is gone."

She looked paler now, and turned around, looking worried, her smile fading away. Artemis could just stare at her, trying to think. Surely it wasn't posible to heal in a night's time, unless you had magic in you... Artemis ran a his fingers through his lips. Would that mean she's- No, but he had to be sure if he was right, but he would need Holly to make sure of it.

"Anything wrong?" She asked, but he shook his head, still thinking.

They all ate in the boring quietness afterwards, not daring to break it, not even Juliet, who tried to restrain herself from shouting to keep talking.

It was ten already, so they headed their way, Artemis in the lead. It was a bright, sunny day. Also humid, after last night's rain, but above all, quite cheerful. Artemis thought he might have a bit of trouble spotting Holly if she was shielded becaue of the brightness, but he was wrong. He felt something brush on his shoulder, and he tried to find her, when he remembered that her Section 8 suit vibrated with her because of the wafers. Artemis lost her for a moment, till he felt a soft poke on his shoulder.

"Boo." Holly said, still vibrating.

"Holly, so nice to see you again. Well, I can't see you...anyway, come over here. Wherever you are." Artemis said, leading the six people under a huge palm tree that provided them shade. Holly unshielded immediately.

"Hey Artemis!" She said, and hugged him tightly. Artemis returned it.

"Great to see you."

"Butler!" Holly exclaimed, giving the huge Eurasian man a hug and a kiss on his bald head.

"Still in Section 8, I see."

"Oh yeah."

"What's up Holly!" Juliet chimed in. Holly beamed. "Long time, no see!"

"Hi Juliet. Foaly says hi to all of you. I talked to him this morning before I came here. I had to leave Mulch in our hide out. He's still not excited like I am... Before I forget, Foaly wanted to tell you something Artemis."

"Is that so? What then?"

She leaned closer and smiled. "He said that you should give the first step with whoever you're thinking of. Yeah, one of them." Holly nodded to the girls.

"You told him?" Artemis hissed under his breath, blushing deeply.

"No, he actually guessed. It's not that hard to figure out."

"You and the rest of the world."

Holly punched him playfully on the shoulder and walked towards Minerva, who also blushed, but it was because she had held Holly for an experiment, but learned to forgive herself.

"Oh, hi Holly," She said, smiling.

"Minerva? Wow, you've grown. Last time you were just twelve and now you're...a young lady."

"Almost fifteen, but I'm not the only one." She pointed to Ali, who was still a bit peaky, but cheerful.

"You're Holly aren't you?" She said, shaking her hand. Holly looked directly at her and then she turned away, not looking at her. Ali looked uncomfortable.

"You must be Greg." Holly nodded at the teen boy, who looked as though he was restraining himself from running away. He nodded.

"Well, we all know why we're here, and that's becaue Opal escaped once more. Last time she tried to kill Butler, Holly and me, and assasinated Commander Root," Artemis closed his eyes for a second. "No1 appeared last night, telling us about Opal being here in Mexico, along with those twins. She might plan to destroy us again, this time in a different way, and who knows, without her magic anything is possible." Artemis finished.

"Right," Everyone chimed together.

"So I think that we should go back and find any trace she might have left behind without knowing it, and maybe find the chute she took. I always wondered if there was a chute in this country..."

"You can worry about that later, Mud Boy," Holly pointed at him. "Let's just do what you said."

"This is were we found No1, and by looking at his traces, he came from over there." Artemis concluded, pointing to a group of nearby palms hiding a little creek of water. They went that way.

"You can barely see them though," Holly opinioned, inching closer to the earth.

"I know, but it can leave obvious traces besides the footprints."

"How'd you work that out?"

"Simple, the most obvious one is the tree branch, which fell on top of No1 last night, almost, and I mean it in the loosest meaning of the word, _killed_ him. Next are the traces of Alison's blood when she got _injured_ last night during our-"

"Injured? She looks perfectly fine!" She said, looking at the young girl, who seemed to be in deep thinking.

"She was, but I healed her."

"You healed- but you said-" Holly looked thunderstruck. "You little weasel, you had magic all along, and you lied!"

"Well, of course I did. Did you really think I would surrender the magic I had in me? But don't worry," He added hastily. "I have been using them for good causes, mostly healing, but it's okay."

"Healing? Why?"

"My young brothers use me as a punching bag, and you wouldn't believe the bruises they leave on me when they play with me. I think a bit of healing would be necessary."

She was still fuming. "But I thought you used it all up during the time travel. I told you I felt great afterwards, I thought you passed it on to me, but how did you manage to not use it all?"

"Simple. Control it as you control your emotions," He smirked and looked at Alison. "At first I thought I did use it all up, but it turned out in the end that I didn't. In other words, after you helped me out a bit, I decided to use a limited amount of magic and save the rest I had left, and it turned out to be a vast amount."

"Seriously Artemis, I should be angry at you." Holly sighed. "You haven't changed a bit."  
"Physically or emotionally?" Artemis asked smiling.

"You know what I mean." Holly snorted.

"Now that it reminds me, there's something about Alison that I found interesting."

"What is it? Don't tell me you forgot to mention something about her last night. What is it this time? Her hair? Her smile?"

"Hair? What does that have to do with us? No, it's nothing to do with that, Holly, but it is worth mentioning." Artemis explained, following a pair of footprints that were not easy to catch up with. "Besides the injury, she got a bite, apparently form a venomous spider during our, well, can we call it 'trudge' last night. When I saw her carefully this morning, she looked perfectly healthy, but pale, and there was no bite at all, just a faint scar."

Holly was listening carefully. "Now that _is_ interesting, just like her eyes."

"What about them? I told you they were quite enchanting." Artemis sighed, looking back at the Alison once more.

"They are, but they actually seem to enchant you. Like the _mesmer_. I looked at a picture of her Foaly showed me yesterday, and they seemed too familiar, and that's why I didn't look at her at all today."

"And I thought you didn't like her at all." Artemis said sarcastically, but he was frowning slightly.

"I do, she seems really nice, but..." Her voice trailed of for a minute. "Hey, you don't think she might be a-"

"She might for all we know, I was suspecting that since this morning. But we can't judge her too harshly, we have to make sure. But not now," He ponted out, as Holly was about to turn. "later, perhaps, but we need to-"

Holly cut in. "I know Master Fowl, _find some traces_, I got it memorized."

"Great, then do that." Artemis furrowed the crease of his forehead, as if looking very hard on something ahead of him. "Guys, I found something!"

He heard hurried steps behind him in the form of Minerva and Ali.

"What is it?" Ali asked.

"More cut-off branches, but not because of the forces of nature. And there seems to be a gap in there."

Minerva reached up to them, and got between them, pushing the other young girl away, as if moving her away from the attention. "I see where you're getting at. Somebody must've cut those on their way, so that must be where she landed yesterday."

"Don't push Alison, Minerva," Artemis frowned. Minerva blushed.

"No, it's fine. Worse things have happened to me, trust me." Her fiery eyes glinted for a moment at Minerva, but returned to their usual warmness.

"Just follow me," Artemis said finally, unable to hide a smile that was forming on his lips. Honestly, his mind said, there is something about her that intrigues me... Why am I still thinking about her, though? I couldn't sleep probably because of it.

And it was true. After his chat with Holly, he coulnd't close his eyes for more than five seconds. The more he thought on these two females, specially the one he just met, the more distracted he got, and the more sensible he became. It was a comforting feeling, but unusual and akward because he wasn't used to being romanticized. He led on, sinking even deeper into his mind until he snapped back to reality and found what he was looking for.

Artemis and the rest entered the gap, but they didn't find anything suspicious at all, except some mounds of earth heaped together in a nice pile and what seemed to be a microtelevision, which seemed to be smaller than Artemis's famous C Cube. Holly walked towards it.

"Do you think it's safe enough to touch it?" Holly asked uncertainly.

Artemis inched closer. "I suppose. It seems to be one of her little televisions she used while a pack of trolls rounded on us, but she made a few fixer-uppers here and there."

Holly nodded, and pressed the 'on' button. At first there was nothing but static, and then, out of nowhere, Opal Koboi's face appeared. She smiled a wide grin.

"Holly and Artemis! What a pleasure to see you two... alive." She hissed softly. "I've been wondering when I'd see you again, but not with company." She sneered down at the other people.

"Now what is it this time, Opal?" Artemis said mockingly. "Are you planning an attack with a bunch of trolls again, or are you actually going to build the mechanical dinosaur I mentioned some time ago?"

"Oh! Now we're jumping to the worst conclusions, arent' we Arty?" Opal suggested nastily, looking at him, her voice rising each second. "I still haven't forgotten what you all did to me! You ruined my life! Do you want more?"

"What, ruined your life?" Artemis responded. "If you can actually call _that_ a life...humanizing yourself, with barely a drop of magic on you, and being on the chase from the LEP. Oh yes, what a wonderful life!"

"Quiet Mud Boy!" She gasped for breath, completely out of control, her beautiful face red, pointing a waggling finger at him. "You have no idea who you're dealing with now!"

"I was under the influence it was Opal Koboi... and yes, I know who I'm messing with, but you don't. You never did, did you?."

"Artemis, stop being such a smart mouth!" Holly hissed in his ear, looking alarmed. "Don't get her any crazier than she already is!"

Artemis looked at Holly. "_That's the point_." he mouthed.

"Shut up! I'll get you where it hurts the most! Mark my words!"

"Where it hurts the most... right."

Artemis saw Alison get in front of him, and turned to Opal. "For once in your life, just SHUT UP! We all get the 'I-hate-Artemis-and-Holly' monologue! It's so annoying hearing the same things over and over, thanks!"

"Er, Ali," Again, he said 'er' when it wasn't even a word, but it was becoming a habit. He got in front of her, as if protecting her from Koboi's reach. "It wouldn't be a good idea to be messing with her."

Opal calmed down a bit, and her breathing slowed down a bit, and she showed her incisors in a horrible fashion. "You know Arty, I would never be crazy to call you _my darling_ and dance with you but then again, I might someday. Closer than you think." With those last enigmatic words, her face dissapeared from the screen, and left nothing but a blank picture.

"Well," Holly twisted her lips, and looked at the Irish boy. "What are we going to do?"

He smiled in a satisfactory way. "I thought you had figured it out by now."

"What?" Everyone mused together.

"I tried to annoy her as much as possible to get some information out of her, and it worked."

"Yeah, you were more annoying than ever!" Juliet exclaimed.

"Why, thank you," Artemis sent her a quizzical look, as if wondering if it was a compliment or an offense. "Dear Ali also helped, by the way."

"Wait, I did?"

"Of course, but," Artemis blushed a faint pink after saying 'dear'. "I can't tell you how, it's part of the plan."

"Oh, right then."

"Which reminds me," He looked at the fairy. "do you still want to know if your suspicion is correct?" He didn't sound too happy, and his eyes reflected nervousness.

Holly looked solemn, and nodded. She walked towards the young teen, and looked at her straight in the eyes. Alison looked at her in a warm, friendly way. Holly took out what seemed to be a small knife.

"Butler, would you mind holding her for a minute?"

Butler looked confused, but nodded all the same. He grabbed her gently by the shoulders, careful not to squeeze her and Holly, who looked sorry, pulled her hand upward, the knife still in her hand and stabbed her right in above her chest. Alison couldn't help but yell in pain, and all the tears she could muster, running freely down her cheeks. Artemis looked away, not being able to stand to look at the pain and horror reflected on her face.

Holly withdrew the weapon and looked at the Mexican girl in pain. She didn't mean to cut a horrible gash on her, making the object trespass her flesh and bone. She dropped the knife, and covered her mouth with her hands, then looked at Artemis, who had turned around, with his eyes closed, and she knew that he felt her pain, but emotionally. He was feeling connected with her, somehow. Everyone looked surprised also, but unaware of Holly's idea of Alison's supposed magic.

Everyone looked at the wound for a moment, and then, after a minute, four or five gold sparks instead of blue jumped out, resealing the open skin and recuperating the lost blood which gently dribbled to the floor. It took a longer time, working on it slowly, when after five minutes it left a small scar on her chest, above her heart, exactly an inch above it. She didn't look well at all. It seemed that the amount of magic had used all of her energies, and she almost collapsed in Butler's arms. Everyone was amazed, especially Artemis. It explained why her look was rather hypnotizing, and that was because of some kind of _mesmer_ in her, but the rest of the attention was due to the attractiveness Artemis felt for her. He wondered if his day could get better or worse.

Artemis got close to her and Butler. She smiled weakly and passed out. Artemis held her hand for a moment, and motioned Butler to let her go. He did, and her body fell on the earthy floor, looking as limp and frail as a ragged doll. Artemis inched close to her and tried to lift her up. He almost collapsed, and Butler offered some help, but the boy refused it and heaved her with all his might.

Artemis, Butler, Juliet, Minerva, Greg, Holly and No1 looked at the girl lying in bed. They had arrived half an hour ago in the girls' bedroom and lay her in her bed. Artemis did have some difficulties with her, since the heaviest thing he had ever carried was his own laptop, but he managed after all, with a little help from Butler, and here they were, staring as if she would wake up any moment.

She did. After some twenty minutes, she stirred in her sleep, and she bolted up, looking dizzy. She rounded on Holly.

"What did you do that for?" She yelled, her eyes gleaming furiously, and then she slouched her head into the pillows. "Ow..."

Holly got closer to her, wearing mirrored sunglasses for precaution.

"Sorry, but I had to. But it wasn't just my idea," She cleared her throat. "Artemis was also part of this."

She looked at him in disbelief and smacked her face with her hand. "Now you two are trying to kill me? Thanks for loving me!"

"No, we have nothing against you, on the contrary, it was meant to be done because..." Artemis sat beside her. "Sorry for being so direct, but it might happen that you may have some fairy magic in you."

Her anger was wiped out and then her expression was replaced with a perplexed look. She looked down and with a hand, felt where the cut was before. "What? You're joking aren't you? That's a good one."

"I wish he were," Holly reasoned, looking worrried. "But he's right. You might have been using the mesmer without actually knowing it, and that might be dangerous, well, for Artemis it is because he can't-"

"Anyway, the point is," Artemis cut in before Holly could finish telling her about his feelings. "We had to see if we were right on suspecting fairy magic in you after the bite you got last night, and what just happened moments ago. But especially the _mesmer_, that can hypnotize anyone, but we're not sure if you have the angelic voice, we haven't seen you do it..."

She was thinking over it and then she responded. "Well...That would explain everything that happened to me when I was younger. It kind of fits."

"Like?"

"When I was about two, I lost my one of my front teeth as my face hit a rock. Don't ask. It fell with the whole root and stuff, and the doctors said there was no chance it'd grow back, but six years later, it was there, as if nothing had happened. I suppose it's the magic I have in me, but it healed really slowly, not to mention it was painful, and afterwards, I feel very weak I just pass out." She looked at Holly, with a hand on her head. "Is that normal for you guys?"

"The pain and weakness?" Holly laughed. "No, but the magic makes you feel great and warm, but you're human so it has different side effects. We should ask Foaly about this."

"Isn't he a centaur or something?" She asked.

"Yeah, and a genius, but like all genii, he can be really annoying and a show-off." She looked at Artemis, who was surprised. "But some genii happen to be really nice."

"That's better." Artemis smiled. "Now call Foaly, and see if we can fix this, and tell him about our encounter with Miss-I-want-revenge-and-I'll-kill-all-of-you-very-soon."

"Oh, you're sense of humor is actually developing." Holly retorted.

Foaly was cursing. He had never had a bad day in his life, not since Commander Julius Root died, but this was just as bad. He had seen Caballine, the supposed centaur of his dreams, and she had invited him over for a cup of beetle juice at a downtown cafe, but because he was supposed to warn Holly and wait for her response, he refused to a confused, sad, and angry Caballine, who galloped away before Foaly could answer her.

So here he was, frustrated and dateless, who waited impatiently for Holly to call. He knew it shoud've been the other way around, but she still had turned off the comunicator in her helmet, protected with a code, and as much as he wanted to crack the code she had for protection, which he could've done easily, he had learned to respect other's privacy, especially Holly's, who was his only best friend. He made his way to grab a carrot from a stack of boxes when his computers suddenly fired up, telling him someone was calling from Cancún, Mexico. He let go of his carrot, throwing to the other side of the room, and answered the call. Suddenly, Holly's face filled his screens, and she looked pleased to see him.

"Hi Foaly," She smiled, eyeing the centaur, and she saw the stack of boxes. "I thought you were on a diet."

"I am." He answered, kicking the boxes with his hoofs, blushing deep. "I was just saving them for...Caballine and myself, if you must know."

"Yeah, and she's not here. Is your relationship going downhill?"

"We can talk about that later. So did you find Arty?"

"Yep, he's here with me, along with Butler, Juliet, No1, Greg, and his two girlfriends,"

Foaly heard a 'They're not my girlfriends!' voice issuing from Holly's other side, and saw Artemis's face blushing crimson red.

"Fine, two friends that happen to be girls. Get it now?" She looked at the young Irish boy.

"Whatever. Where's Mulchie, I thought he was with you?"

Holly looked at him. "He was, but I left him on the island. His smell might be a bit of a distraction, not to mention his looks."

"Hey!"

It was Mulch who had spoken. He was on the other side of the link, making it a three-way call. Holly looked abashed at Foaly.

"Oops, I must've opened the second link connected to Mulch. Kind of got excited."

"Thanks Foaly." Holly said exasperated. "What are you doing Mulch?"

"I'm on my way."

"What! You're in the building?"

"Yeah, did you think you would get to have all the fun while I waited for you?"

"Great, hopefully nobody saw you."

"As a matter of fact..."

"Oh no..."

"A little kid, about two years old saw me as I started to tunnel. He thought I was Barney the purple dino...I was highly offended, compared to a dinosaur!"

"Yes, well, do us a favor Mr. Diggums," Artemis looked at Mulch's face. " Get here as quickly as you can, and then all of us can get reaquainted. Do you think you can handle that pressure?"

"Oh, Arty, always so modest!" Mulch added sarcastically, and then they heard a knock on the door. Butler went to get that and Mulch Diggums, the kleptomaniac dwarf, appeared, giving the room a horrible stench. Everyone wrinkled their noses. He noticed it.

"Sorry, it's a bit strong I know, but I had to distract that young lady down at the reception. And Foaly said this suit didn't give any smell at all! I'm gonna kill him!" He said, looking at his black suit.

"I'm still here!" Foaly said. "Wait, it doesn't work?!"

"Kill him with wind power?" Artemis asked casually. "Smart."

"It is a good plan, isn't it?" Diggums wiped an imagenary tear from his eye, ignoring Foaly, who looked angry. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan is for you to sit down and listen to what we have to say. Got it?"

Mulch gave him a nasty grin, but sat down nontheless. Holly looked down at the flatulent dwarf.

"How did you get here? You were in an island, remember?"

"Swam." he said simply.

"Excuse me?"

"I swam, and I could've sworn there were sharks surrounding me as a I passed a couple of dolphins."

"Dwarfs aren't aquatic creatures are they?" Artemis wondered, scratching his chin.

"No we aren't, but if you were leading a criminal life before, you wold need a few skills, wouldn't you, Mud Whelp?"

Artemis digested this. "I suppose it would be handy. Good thinking."

"Less of the chat, how about that?" Foaly said, tapping his screen for attention. "You can talk about dwarf talents later."

"Okay Foaly, this is what happened. We met up with Opal, and she gladly gave us a hint of what she plans. It was difficult to catch up with, but technically, she wanted to us to find No1, which we did, and now she's going to the next step. With me so far?"

He nodded.

"But I didn't get what she meant about the whole 'my darling' issue along with a dance. What does that have to do with anything she's thinking? And I'll be honest, but that came out randomly."

Everyone gaped at him. Artemis didn't understand it! Alison bolted up and jumped from her bed, almost tripping with the covers.

"Ouch! Still sore. Anyway, ignoring the headache I'm getting, I think I do. About the dance thing, there might be a party tomorrow, right here, and the 'my darling' thing..." She looked at him. "It's a song! RBD is hosting the party tomorrow, and they might sing that one!"

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Artemis said.

"Probably because you never pay attention to that kind of stuff," Holly murmured.

"Foaly, can you track her chute down?"

"Fowl, who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can! I finally managed to get some more information, and _voíla!_"

From the other side of the line, they heard the tapping of keys and they saw him munching on a carrot. At last he spoke.

"She's in Mexico City. The exact location, El Paseo de la Reforma, right were the Angel of Independence is."

"Interesting." Artemis's mind starting bouncing ideas on his head. "Thanks, but for now, let's worry about Ali and her magic."

"Wait, Alison Gallegos has magic?"

"Yes, and to prove she had it, Holly stabbed her."

"That's got to hurt!"

"You have no idea," Alison murmured.

"It did, but it healed, rather slowly, and it took her energies. Can you explain that?"

Foaly looked surprised."That doesn't happen very often, but it does during unique ocassions."

"Like..." Artemis said softly.

"Well, when humans happen to be infants, babies to be exact, they can see a fairy through the shield, not all of them, but some and if a fairy touches the baby, some of the magic will go directly to the human, which explains the so called 'seers', those people that can actually see the future, or anything else that seems out of the ordinary."

"But Alison actually has fairy magic, like any of us." Holly added.

"Again, on rare ocassions. That's if the fairy is actually giving up the magic, then it will all go to the kid it's closest to. Apparently that particular fairy gave all its powers to her. Children like that are very unique."

"So that would explain why she's magical. And what about the loss of physical energy? I suppose it's because of her organism making contact with the magic?" Artemis asked.

"She's not used to it, that's obvious, but also because it has to get used to her body functions, and that can take years, but since she's going through puberty, it happens more often, and a bit more painfully."

"But why not Artemis?" Holly shrugged.

"Oh, I forgot you told me about that, but I thought you said he used it all."

"He didn't." Holly glared at Artemis, who shrugged.

"Well," He cracked his knuckles. "Artemis's case is a bit different, and that's because he's different-"

"You mean unique," Artemis sighed.

"Yeah, whatever, Mud Boy. He's used to it. He's used to the healing, the mesmer, and it didn't cause him much of a shock, because he actually meant to have it, he knew what would happen, but Ali didn't. She wasn't ready for it."

"So is that why the pretty girl didn't look at me, and is wearing mirrored sunglasses? Because of the so-called _mesmer_?" Ali sat up and pointed at Holly.

"Yeah, and since your hormones are acting up, it would be dangerous for me to look at you, and worst case scenario is that I might loose my magic if you force me."

"And best case scenario?" She asked.

"That you might accidently mesmerise a certain somebody..." Her eyes traveled towards Artemis, who cleared his throat and looked away. Ali also looked away, blushed and a few gold sparks erupted from her fingertips.

"That's also going to be part of the deal," Foaly said loudly. "It usually happens when you can't control your emotions, like anger, happiness, or," Foaly winked at Ali and Artemis, who were now looking at the centaur. " when somebody's in _love_..."

There were three voices that shouted out 'No!' at the same time, one from Artemis, and the other two from Ali and Minerva. Minerva looked highly affronted, not to mention, her cheeks were glowing red. Artemis and Alison said it as if both were nervous, and everyone could see through their expressions and the looks of their eyes. Everyone was touched. Artemis might actually have a crush after all!

"I've got to go," Foaly resumed, still smiling. "I have to go and apologize to Caballine... I kind of ditched her..." After that, he left muttering and linked off.

"Same old Foaly," Holly smiled. "Now we know where's she's going to be. A party. How exciting. But what kind of ceremony?"

"Costumes." Juliet giggled. "Anything you want, and it has to go with your personality."

"Oh great!" breathed Holly. " Where are you getting your things? I suppose I'll have to wear a camfoil..."

"There's a mall called Perisur downtown. It's not that far, according to that receptionist, just take the bus, and you're there." Ali informed.

"Mall?" Butler asked, closing his eyes slowly. "Does that means-"

The three females giggled and then said together. "SHOPPING!"

The males groaned. They were not going to like this. Especially the credit card part.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxX**

**Ha ha, I enjoy making Artemis suffer! LOL! I just wanted the girls to have some fun now, and what better than a shopping day? Poor Artemis, now he's confused about Alison and Minerva!**

**Now, how many guessed that Ali was a magical being? I didn't see that coming! I'll post when I can for the next chappie! Again THANKS!! Don't forget to R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7: Inside a girl's mind

**Yay! Chapter 7! Again, thanks to all the people that have bothered to read my fanfic, and mostly because of the reviews, as those get my motivation going! THANKIES!**

**I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS (c) Eoin Colfer**

**I DON'T OWN RBD AND THEIR SONGS (c) EMI Music Mexico**

**I DON'T OWN **_**REBELDE **_**(c) Televisa Mexico**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 7: Inside a girl's mind**

**Opal Koboi's shuttle, Mexico City**

Opal Koboi was both pleased and annoyed at the same time. She was in the pod, well, in a comfy chair, which was recently added for this trip. No little Mud Girl had ever talked to her like that! Not to mention, she was prettier than her! How can that be? But on the good side, she found what she was looking for. Some few hours ago she had the heated conversation with the Mud Boy, and she had figured out after the girl's response that Artemis cared for her deeply, the way he got in front of her and told her not to mess with her. But what rather gave it away was the way the Mud Boy looked at her. Too obvious.

Opal curled catlike in her chair, giggling for a second, looking out the small window in front of her, thinking about how contaminated Mexico City was, and being one of the biggest city in the world, and with almost twenty-five million in it's population, it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Certainly revenge was sweet. She couldn't wait to start what she had in mind, especially when she figured out what Artemis's weakness was. The first step was going well. The Brill twins came in, knocking before coming in.

"Well?" Opal asked.

Scant spoke. "We found some some information on the Angel," he handed her a piece of paper. Her eyes scanned it and her lips formed a satisfied smile.

"Good. Mervall, bring me a salad, and don't look at me!" She threw a withering glance at the unfortunate pixie, and rounded on the other. "Descant, how soon can we start the tunneling?"

"As soon as you want, madam," He answered, making sure not to look at her.

Really, he thought, why am I still helping her? I shouldn't at all, she nearly killed us!

"I feel tonight will be excellent, but make sure it's done before tomorrow. And no excuses, or you will be sorry."

"Don't worry miss Koboi," Scant pleaded. "It'll be finished."

He made sure of that. He wasn't ready to suffer a great tragedy just yet.

**Near Templo del Zafiro, Cancún, Mexico**

"How long do we have to wait?" Artemis groaned, covering his eyes with his hands as the sun tried to blind him.

They were all waiting in a bus-stop, with other crowded people looking for the transportation to take them to their destination. It was blazing hot and it was just half past noon. Artemis shuffled behind Butler's bulky silhoutte, blocking him from the astrological king: The sun.

Ali scratched her neck casually, looking at him. "You could've worn decent clothing fot this kind of weather, but no, the genie decided to wear his usual suit, instead of something comfortable."

"Genie?"

"Better than genius."

Artemis looked at her up and down. She was wearing capris with white Converse sneakers along with a spaghetti-strap top with the legend 'I cried over that idiot? in red letters. She seemed comfotable, not to mention, he thought she looked pretty again. After digesting the information she gave him, he commented what was in his mind.

"I feel alright with what I'm wearing, thanks very much, but if you must know, I can't ignore the fact that I can't stand the blazing heat."

She nodded. "I'll get cooler by September."

Artmeis looked at her top again. "What do you mean that you cried over that idiot? Boyfriends, surely?"

She looked down, then at him. "No, I never had a boyfriend,"

Artemis felt like smiling. Those words made him happy for some reason.

"But I have cried over idiots." She finished.

Minerva walked next to Ali and asked. "Why can't we just take the limo?"

It was Butler who answered. "We could have, but Artemis _insisted_ on getting to know this place. It actually interested him."

"Oh, he'll wish he'd taken the limo," Juliet added, shaking her head. "You seriously don't know what you're getting into, Arty!"

"Oh yeah." Ali added. "Traffic, people that don't want to let go of their seats and strangers... ooh, fun."

"I think I'm capable of taking care of myself," he said, looking behind him as a pair of teenage Mexican girls of about thirteen looked at him, giggling and winking at him. "Or maybe not, after all." he added hastily, looking away.

Minerva sighed. "Girls do that Artemis. Don't tell me a girl never admitted that she liked you?"

"Of course not. I haven't met many girls in my life."

"Except us."

"Yes. Except you."

"Well, get used to it, girls in this country are a bit obvious sometimes, including guys, and girls don't usually find guys cute like yo-" Alison paused. "They don't find boys like you anywhere. Especially Irish ones. Not in this place. Scarce, the good-looking ones are, and I'm not offending anyone."

"Hmm...you really don't have any choice of a boyfriend do you?"

Ali thought for a moment. "Not really, but then sometime a really good-looking guy will catch your eye, and even if he's not the cutest, he'll still make you feel like you're the best thing ever. But it all depends on their personality."

Artemis nodded. Even girls were tough in Mexico.

"The bus is here, make a stop sign!" Ali breathed. Butler raised his hand as in a command to stop and the bus did. It was lucky that it was big enough because Butler wouldn't have been able to make it in a smaller one. They all got in, Juliet with Butler, Minerva and Greg, and Ali and Artemis, who followed her and decided to be with her.

"It's even worse in here," Artemis commented, as he sat down by the window.

"I know, but you get used to it." She said and then as the bus moved, it made them jump in their places. It was like they were being rattled. Thank God there was no traffic or people in the bus today. Artemis decided to look out the window and saw the Mexican ethnic culture in various forms such as necklaces, clothing, pottery and the _plazas, _along with tourists from all over the world purchasing goods.

"Greg hasn't said anything since this morning." Artemis gave another small jump in his seat, turning to face her.

She thought for a moment. "Shock maybe, but he's not easy to scare. But I'll be honest with you: It was too much, really."

"But not for you."

She shrugged."I knew there was something powerful me, and I just couldn't explain it, but now it makes so much sense. I see the world in a different light."

"Talking about the world, I would find Juliet's prediction to be correct. Next time, it's the limo."

"Aww, you little ray of sunshine, and you were doing fine not complaining, but remember, different country, different rules to the game. I even heard you watching that soap opera that starts at eight. I didn't think you would like it at all, but you did apparently."

"_Lola, erase una vez?"_ Artemis wondered. "In fact, I didn't like it that much. Too unrealistic. Not to mention, it seems a bit stupid in my opinion."

"I know! The plot is inmature, the main actress was bad, and a complete waste of money! Thank goodness it's on its last week on TV. I didn't think anyone would watch it, especially you. Unless you're nine or something. I used to be like that, thinking about true love and stuff, how about you?"

Artemis tried to recall in his memories any time he'd been with his parents, sitting together and telling stories, but none came to his mind.

"My childhood was filled with nothing but computers, education, money and plans. I never worried about that until the day I came back from Hybras. I remember my mother would always read me a book on fairy tales, like Robin Hood, but I never listened to them. I'd tell her that I was too old to hear such stories, and I was barely six. Father would always tell me that gold was power, and by then, nothing mattered to me but gold." He let out a long, deep sigh.

Ali patted him gently on his hand, two sparks dancing into his hand. "Don't think about that. You changed, and you still are, and it's for the greater good you're doing it. Not everyone is perfect you know, not even a genius. You're starting to act like the boy you are supposed to be, don't be afraid of being childish. Of making mistakes. You're human."

He smiled sincerely. "Of course. I have always been a selfish boy, but after meeting Holly, Foaly, and everyone else, gold has become less important, and life has a new meaning after my father-" He looked at Ali, who had her eyebrows raised.

"Don't be so formal, just say it naturally, no matter how stupid it sounds."

Artemis instantly remembered when his mother told him to be a normal teen and to not be so responsible at his tender age during the time he stole _The Fairy Thief._ It had marked him, and he told himself to always appreciate his life from now on.

"Alright, then, after my _dad_ came back from his dissapearance. He showed me that you can correct your mistakes and prevent future ones. Sometimes I just wish I could go back in time and let my _mom_ read me those fairy tails..."

"You're in luck because I have a story in mind, odd maybe, but at least I have that." She sat up straighter and gave him a wide grin. "Okay, once there was a fourteen-year-old teen named...ah...Timmy who once was a bad, greedy boy who only cared for himself and nothing else, and then came a fairy named Hally, who, along with a really cool centaur named Folly, an amazing commander by the name of Rootsie, and a smelly dwarf named Mulchie who helped him change his ways, and for once becoming the nice, sweet, sensitive boy inside of him, the boy that everyone grew fond of." She finished and looked at him. "What did you think? Did it sound familiar?"

He grinned. "Yes it did. Great job."

"Thanks, buddy." She looked out the window. "We're here. Guys," She looked at the people behind her. "Let's go!"

Perisur and Perinorte are Mexico's most popular title for a mall, and along with the most famous stores, including Zara, Astral Freaks, Monster, etc. The mall, Artemis reasoned, was a female's best way to escape their stress, not to mention, find attractive males, but above all reasons, because of the fashionable clothes girls died for.

Artemis saw the girls look here and there, admiring the colorful shirts and the cute jeans, as they said it, and they couldn't help but giggle everytime they saw a boy pass them. They young Irish genius didn't know why so many girls looked at him and Greg, they all smiled and winked at both of them. Artemis seriously didn't know how to react, so he just raised an eyebrow at them and realized this was a mistake as they girls giggled harder than ever. He looked at Ali, Minerva and Juliet and gave them a pleading look. Ali came his way.

"What?"

"Girls. That's the problem."

Ali laughed out loud, and a couple of boys looked around at her, nodding at her, but she ignored them, looking surprised herself. Artemis glared at the boys coldly. "They're looking at you because they think you're...how to put it...handsome? Cute? Adorable? Want other words? I can do Spanish if you want."

"It doesn't exactly raise my morale with them, but I just don't want their attention. I'm not used to it." He forgot about his look of superiorness for a minute and he looked hopeless. "Wait, they think I'm _adorable?_"

"Well, they can't help looking at boys, I mean, some girls do that, including myself, but if it worries you that much..." She pulled him towards Juliet and Minerva. "Just stick with us, that should scare them."

"Oh, I see, you're using reversed female psychology against them. Very good."

"Reversed female psychology? Yeah, sure, genie." She smiled. "If that even exists..."

It turned out that Artemis was correct. Girls started to look again, but looked dissapointed when they saw Minerva, Juliet and Alison.

Female minds weren't that hard to figure out after all, Artemis thought, his lips forming a smile.

They arrived at Zara's store, and they all went inside. The whole place was filled with mesmerized girls from all ages, some of them with their boyfriends who seemed bored to death, most of them checking their watches every few seconds. Artemis followed his friends through the crowd and they arrived at a section that contained what seemed to be party dresses, some of them with all the colors of the rainbow and all the known fabrics, ans some of them dresses formed to be costumes. Oh dear, Artemis conscious spoke, this is going to be a long day...

And as usual, he was right,. They spent about three hours trying out what seemed to be the whole section, until they were satisfied with what they found according to their personality. Juliet found what seemed to be a beautiful jade-colored dress, and then found the right accesories to match with it. Minerva opted for a pale pink dress, that came with what seemed to be wings, which apparently said that she still believed in magic no matter what, and Ali decided for a red, princess-looking dress that was a bit above the knee, and it was ragged and looked truly amazing.

Once they were given their shopping bags, they looked happy and looked at the males.

"Let's get your things, boys," Minerva applied.

"Us too?" Greg looked dumbfounded.

"Of course you're coming with us, and besides, who's going to help you choose between tons of outfits if we have a better taste in fashion?" Juliet asked, her hands on her hips.

The males didn't look happy about this at all. What would they turn into afterwards?

The girls were having trouble deciding, so Juliet helped her brother, Minerva her cousin, and Alison was left with Artemis. She pushed him into a dressing room gently.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she closed the door.

"You're too hard to decide!" She answered. Artemis grinned and began to undress.

Alison opened the door and poked her head and blinked; Artemis had taken his jacket off, and had begun to unbutton his shirt, revealing his chest. He looked at her, a small smile on his face, hiding his surprisement and embarassment.

"You might want to knock on the future," He said. "I might've been a bit more revealing."

She blushed and spoke faintly. "I thought you still had clothes on," She handed him the first suit, looking down. "Try the ancient vampire, and sorry."

"Thanks." He finished getting undressed, and started to put on that costume. He turned around to look at his reflection. _Hmm,_ he thought,_ I really look old, 19__th__ century at least. _He heard a knock on his door. "May I come in? That's if you're not revealing."

He grinned. "You may, Ali."

She opened the door and looked at him. She grimaced. "No..."

"To be honest, the laces are annoying, I look ridiculous, and I don't look like a vampire!"

She laughed. "You're right, and you're gonna get beat up."

"Oh, how sarcastic." He smiled. But her eyebrows went up.

"Well, walk into a dark alley dressed like that, and you're going to get conned out of every cent. Psychologically speaking, they might think you're out of you mind, thinking you're still two hundred years into the past."

Artemis laughed. The first laugh in almost seventeen years. Not only was Alison funny, he thought, but tells it how it is. "Okay, next outfit, please."

She giggled. "Oh, you're so excited, aren't you?" She closed the door and Artemis waited patiently until the second knock was heard. "It's me again."

"Obviously." He grinned. Alison handed him another heap of clothes. "This is modern vampire. Hurry up, 'cause the others are ready."

"Alright."

He tried to hurry putting up those clothes, and then after he finished putting on the cape that came along, did he look in the mirror and felt that he was looking at a real vampire. He leaned on the floor. "Ali, I'm ready." He opened the door to let her in. She looked at him.

"I- Wow, you look-"

"Like a real vampire?" He asked, smiling.

"No... _cute._"

Artemis blushed and felt pleased. She smiled shyly.

Both paid for Artemis's suit and waited for the others until they made it out of the store. Juliet decided on a stoic personality for Butler: A bodyguard, while Greg stayed as a basketball player, according to Minerva. Artemis was in a good mood, and a bright smile on his face, a smile that dissapeared as they saw the bus nearing. He wasn't ready for another hot, sweaty ride on the bus.

They were back, and to their surprise, they found No1 singing lively to an RBD song, 'Empezar desde cero'. He was embarassed, stopped the music halfway and grabbed one of Minerva's book, which he happened to be reading upside down, not to mention, it was in French, the language he had a bit of difficulties with. They all got into sudden fits of laughing, when Holly and Mulch appeared, getting out of their hideout, which was the bathroom.

They all talked about how their day was, even though they were separate for three hours, but Holly, Mulch and No1 seemed to have enjoyed it. No1 and Holly made Mulch get a bath, which he refused at first, until Holly knocked him out, and next thing he knew, he was submerged in a bath of pink and violet bubbles, which explained why he gave out the smell of lavender and roses, or why he looked so clean for once. Mulch was deeply disgusted afterwards. Holly then began to explain that some famous music group was about to register sometime later on, and the girls got excited, and this gave Artemis a feeling of satisfaction because he could figure out a bit more to Opal's plan. He urged Holly to go on.

"Yeah, I said sometime today, like about seven o' clock." She looked intrigued. "This leads to something, doesn't it?"

"Yes, like what are they going to plan for tomorrow night, if you must know. They should have a schedule, and that's going to help us know when Opal is making her overdramatic entrance."

Greg thought for a moment. "You're not thinking of breaking in, are you?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'breaking', but..." Artemis gave them one of his best vampire smiles. "Anything is possible."

Everyone shuddered slightly, but the afternoon was wonderfully warm.

**Opal Koboi's shuttle, Mexico City**

"Mervall, Descant, it's time. Start from the underneath, and make sure nobody sees you."

Opal was giving out the orders to a flustered pair of twins. They seemed worried about something.

"Anything wrong?" She asked, checking a manicured nail.

The twins shuffled their feet, not looking at her.

"Well!" Opal screamed.

They both answered at different intervals.

"If we're starting undergournd-"

"Then what do we do-"

"With the skeletons-"

"If there's anything left?"

Opal rolled her eyes. She really didn't know why she rehired these two morons.

"I don't care about the bodies, they're just dust. Keep telling that to yourseleves if you have to."

They still didn't look convinced.

"But they're Mexico's heroes. It'd be a sign of disrespect, wouldn't it? Digging into their resting place."

"Do what I say before I show your dead bodies a sign of disrespect!" She retorted, getting a bottle of mineral water from a nearby shelf. "Go!"

The twins winced as though they were being physically hurt and scattered off from her sight. She smiled in a evil fashion.

Merv and Scant left Opal's presence, and they were now having second thoughts, but ignored them.

"Are you sure about doing this?" Scant asked his older brother, who opened the entrance and got out, heading towards another pod, smaller, and specialized for digging. Another Koboi creation.

"I suppose, we don't have another choice do we?"

Scant shrugged, and propped himself in the seat next to Mervall. The other twin turned the miracle of technology on and began the scavenger hunt.

"Whoa!" Merv yelled as he almost hit an enormous rock. "Nearly crashed!"

"You were never good at driving. Better just leave this to Holly Short, she's the best in this job. But to be honest, you're better than me."

He nodded. "Sadly, we have the orders to destroy her and that Mud Boy... I was starting to like them, you know. They don't seem to be bad at all."

They both looked at each other and nodded. Maybe it wasn't late yet.

"Hey, is that a...coffin?" Scant looked at his brother a few moments later.

Merv pressed a button and the screen magnified his path four times. It was indeed.

"Let's try not to mess that and the rest up. Or the bodies, if there's anything left."

"Right, let's find the center of the Angel, dig upward, and get the Canary Islands after this mess." Mervall adjusted the controls and suddenly, the pod gave a ferocious upturn, and faced towards what seemed to be a fine foundation of ancient rock with limestone. Merv headed towards the foundation, and carefully, spun the drill that came out of the pod's front. The tip touched the stone, and carefully made a whole until it widened, making enough space for the machine to go in...

Artemis propped open his laptop, and turned to Butler and Ali, who where waiting for a signal that would come from Minerva, Juliet, and Greg, who where at the hotel's entrance, waiting for RBD to make their entrance. After five minutes, Butler's cell phone rang. He put it on a loud speaker so everyone could hear what was going on.

"They're here," It was Juliet's voice, and it seemed to be drowning with excitement. "One blond, one brunette, a redhead, two guys with brunette hair, and the other with-?" Juliet paused "Whoa! The other one has blue hair!" She paused. "I like him. He's unique."

Butler and Artemis looked at Ali. "Yep. That's them."

"Blue hair?" Artemis said in a shocked voice, his hands going automatically to his black hair. "That guy must be out of his mind!"

"Artemis, we're all out of our minds, no doubt about that," Ali inquired. "and that's including you, also."

"Yes, they're going in, and..." it was Minerva's voice now and then it changed to Greg's. "Now they're checking in, being trampled by fans, security is trying to lead them safely to their room, they can't do it, everyone's going crazy...Ali, your idols are truly amazing..." Greg sounded he was on the verge of laughing.

"Shut up, Greg!"

"We'll see you down there." Artemis said and motioned Butler to end the call.

"You're seriously not thinking of going and getting yourself killed, aren't you?" Ali asked, her eyebrows going up high. Artemis nodded.

"You'll get yourself killed too. I know you're dying to see them. I haven't been wrong yet."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe I am. Butler?"

"I'm not going to leave you two go alone and get yourselves arrested by their security. They might think you'll attack them."

"You and your sense of humor." She walked towards Artemis and looked at what he was doing. "What are you doing?"

"Writing my parents an e-mail. They want to see if I'm alright, even if Butler's with me, they don't want another time-travel incident again, the fairy issue it still rather hard for them to believe, they thought at first I was going crazy, but they were wrong, I can't lie about anything that serious..."

"Right..."

"Well, I'll admit that I also want to know how Myles and Beckett are doing without me. I actually do miss them even if they use me as a punching bag when they're bored, but they still love me, if you can call that brotherly love..." His fingers traveled around the keys as he said it, adding his last touches. "Okay...wait... done." He stood up. "Let's go see the _rebeldes_."

An elevator trip later, they went to the first floor, and Greg wasn't joking. There were fans that were trampling the Rebels, asking for autographs, pictures, everything that came to their minds, including marriage proposals. Artemis, Butler and Ali got closer, and they could make out that Anahi, Dulce, Maite, Alfonso, Christopher, and Christian were all trying to do what the fans wished, but being inmobilized by them was a slight drawback. The three of them smiled at each other and spotted the other three. They waved back at them, and then pointed to the famous teens. _Do you want us to get closer_? Minerva mouthed. Artemis shook his head, and pointed towards himself and Ali. She gave a startled jump. Butler looked startled also, but with Artemis's determined stare, he calmed down a bit. Artemis looked at Minerva and motioned his thin lips to form an instruction. _Distract the fans, Butler will do the rest._ She nodded.

"We will need a distraction as usual," Artemis said loudly due to the fans' roars. "You will do that, while Ali and I get their registration number and see which room they stayed in. It might be possible that Opal harms them too, and we don't want Ali to get dissapointed, do we?"

Both nodded, and the female then rolled her eyes after considering what he said. She seemed too excited to describe her expression.

"Butler, you will act as the overexcited fan that _accidently_ trips over the police-"

"Sorry for interrupting you," Butler said carefully. He knew how much Artemis detested being interrupted. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you just hacked in from your laptop?"

Artemis closed his eyes, and nodded. "Of course, it would've been an easier option, well, for me, but security is tighter nowadays, and besides, Foaly informed me that there are beams on this buiding now, because of these artists. And I'll admit this, I need a challenge now. No, old friend, we have to do it this way. One way or another, the game is on. Go!"

Ali and Artemis hid in a corner behind a ridiculous, exotic plant and saw how the show was about to develop. There was Butler, walking in a casual sort of way, when he spotted the tremendous uproar. He gave a jump and ran towards them. Artemis lead Alison towards the counter, while the clerk tried to separate some crazed people from beating each other up. Artemis opened the computer's registration program with ease, and tried to find the group's room. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Butler _accidently_ tripping on top of one of the police in the room, causing more mayhem while Minerva, Juliet and Greg jumped up and down, yelling about ten free RBD autographs to a freaked public. They saw him watching them and they winked. Artemis winked back and went back to his task. Under one of the bars said, 'Special Reservations' and he clicked on it, but a small screen appeared with the word 'password' etched on it. Ali saw what was going on over his shoulder.

"It's protected! Now what do we do?"

"First, you need to get to know me a bit more. I can easily crack the code, that should be simple enough. Give me a few seconds, and just trust me." She looked at him deeply, and nodded.

Artemis worked for several seconds, his hands flying all over the keyboard until and 'access granted' appeared. Next, a list of what seemed to be made up by at least seven people appeared, but none had the names he was looking for.

"They're not there." Artemis breathed, starting to think. "Why would that be?"

"I don't know!" Ali hissed in his ear. "You're the genie!"

"Unless," he paused. "They're under a pseudonym. I'd do that, less attention."

"In other words, a made-up name. Try and find an uncommon name." Ali said.

His eyes scanned for a specialized name, and found a strange one. He studied it closer.

"How about May Dulannie von...something, I can't understand what it says..." He looked at it, and Ali did the same. "The point is that they're under a combination of their names. In order they're Maite, Dulce, Anahi, Christopher's last name, and the combined surnames of Christian and Alfonso. Is that right?"

"That's it! It's them!"

"Room number is...right next to us." Artemis frowned.

"What do you mean next to us?"

"They are rooms 309, 308, 307, 306, 305, and 304." He was still frowning, and this seemed a bit too suspicious. Had Opal also planned this also? Or was it mere coincidence?

"That's fishy. She knew you'd be here, but them next to you? Now that is scary...and great! Come on, let's get out of here before they see us!"

As if on cue, two of the many guards spotted the two teens, and they made their way towards them. When they was only five feet away, Butler appeared and tapped one of the guards on the temples, immediately going to unconsciousness, but the other one slipped from Butler's grasp and when Artemis actually noticed what was going on, did he see the man taking a hold of Alison's arms rather fiercely. The Irish boy didn't know what made him do it, but looking at Alison trying to hit the guard without succeding made Artemis punch the man straight in the face with all the strength he could muster, and surprisingly, it knocked the guard out, Alison falling with him.

"Wow, Artemis!" Alison said, a pleasant smile on her face as Artemis flexed his digits. He grinned as he helped her up. "Mastermind, one thing, but beat up proffesional bodyguards?"

"That was a first." After a small grin, a vampire smile made its way to his lips. "Come on!"

Artemis pulled Ali by her hand and he motioned the rest to retreat and follow him.

Indeed for Artemis, this was one the funnest things he has ever done in his life, if fun could be considered as life-threatening moments. Not very challenging, but at least it was something. But being in front of the police with fans, and a international group, breaking into the computer for information, and especially punching a professional guard to not hurt his friend was indeed thrilling. If he only could've enjoyed it without Opal on the loose...

"So, how did it go?" Artemis questioned everyone, sitting on a comfy sofa. Holly sat down next to him, ready to hear what happened, along with Mulch and No1.

"It was totally amazing!" Juliet laughed.

"Yes, did you see what happened to that man that got in front of the brunette girl?" Minerva said, looking flustered.

Greg answered naturally. "Yeah, she gave him a sweet headbutt. That's got to hurt really badly."

"And you told us to stay here, missing all the fun, and being locked in the disgusting bathroom!" Holly retorted.

"If there is anything useful I did was to get rid of those nasty shampoo flasks, they smell horrible." Mulch burped what seemed to be a blue bubble. "Oh great, I threw them out the window, and when I went digging for fun, I must've eaten one!"

"Ooh, it's a nice aroma you're giving out, though," No1 pointed out.

"Juliet, go on." Artemis cut in.

"They were all going crazy, until one of them actually tried to attack Minerva, she almost tripped, but some cute guy her age appeared right behind her, and got her..." Juliet smiled at her, and Minerva blushed sincerely. "He asked her if she would go to the dance with him after everyone calmed down."

"And what did you say?" Artemis asked.

She was still blushing and then she nodded.

"She said yes to her boyfriend." Juliet perceived, winking at her.

"He's not my boyfriend! I just met him, for goodness sake! I don't even know his name!"

"Omar."

"What?"

"Omar's his name. I asked him before we left." Juliet continued.

"I can't believe you asked him!" Minerva yelled, and then her voice softened. "But it is a nice name...Omar, means 'long life' in Arabian...wait, Omar what? Did you ask him his surname?"

"No, there was not much time really, but he wants to see you again, that's for sure." Minerva blushed again, but Juliet went on. "But she wasn't the only one that got hit by cupid."

"Dont' tell me; Greg also?" Artemis looked at the young teen male.

"A really nice girl by the name of Zeltzin," Minerva commented, forgetting about Omar. "she speaks a bit on English, while Greg speaks just a bit of Spanish...less than point five percent, actually."

"Yeah, thanks Minnie," Greg muttered, folding his arms.

" 'Zeltzin' is the Nahualt word for 'Unique'. Did anyone know that?" Artemis eyed everyone patiently.

Everyone shook their heads, except the three magical beings, who understood every language spoken on the face of the earth.

"Oh, sorry about that. Anyway, did you like her, Greg?"

Greg looked at Artemis right in the eye, and a faint pink tinged his cheeks. He didn't answer. It was the answer Artemis needed. He looked at Alison, who was looking at Greg, with a stare that deeply stated dissapointment and happiness at the same time.

"How about you, Artemis?"

The young teen expected this to come from Juliet or Minerva, but it came from Butler's mouth. The boy looked surprised.

"Pardon?"

"You're taking someone, aren't you?" He eyed him sternly.

"Well, what- what are you talking about?" Artemis asked, trying to look innocent.

"The dance. Who are you taking?"

"If I'm not mistaken, I told you some years ago that I never saw myself in a dance, and I don't intend to in the future." Artemis said, being taken aback.

"But I did tell you that dancing wasn't the point, but it was all about communiation, remember? Use this chance to get to know what you missed. Take Ali, she doesn't have a partner."

Alison looked alarmed. "Um, do I have a saying in this?"

"Yes you do." Artemis said, sounding relieved.

"I didn't think we needed partners, I was going by myself, along with you guys. But if Artemis doesn't mind, I'll go with him, I've never been to a dance with anyone in my life... but that's if he's up to it." She looked at him with the fiery eyes. "Are you?"

Artemis struggled with himself for a moment, and he gave a final nod. Deep inside him was some happiness that he still couldn't explain and still didn't want to admit to himself.

No1 spoke."Who would have thought, an Irish vampire taking a Mexican pop princess. Good combinations these days, especially you two."

"Well..." Mulch interjected. "Opposites do usually attract each other, and that's something easier to understand than quantum physics being explained by a donkey!"

"Sorry if I change the subject, but we don't have time for date talks and who's going with who, there is an evil pixie we have to catch up with!" Holly snapped, getting up and looking at Artemis. "So what do we know now?"

Artemis took out what seemed to be a key from his breast pocket. He smiled his dangerous smile.

"This is what we know."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I had to get the girls out, and I'm sorry for making Artemis suffer while shopping, but I think the most exciting thing that could've happened to him was that Ali thought he was cute as a vampire... Aww! And N°1 singing... Good times, I just felt like having everyone sing **_**RBD **_**in this chapter, and get Artemis's 'aggresive/ don't lay a hand on Alison''s side, and well, he got to punch some proffesional bodyguard, but not to Butler's standard.**

**What do you think so far? Still no action, but it's getting there! THANK YOU FOR READING THIS CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO R&R!**

**P.S.- ARTEMIS GOT A DATE! HA!**


	8. Chapter 8: Wanna play

**Here's chappie number 8! SI!**

**I DO NOT OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR ANY RELATED CHARACTERS (c) Eoin Colfer**

**I DO NOT OWN RBD OR THEIR SONGS AND LYRICS (c) EMI Music Mexico**

_**Is a weirdo and proud of it**__**- **_Many thank-you's to you! I'm so happy to hear that you're enjoying this story and that you're constantly giving reviews! It get my motivation to write going, and I'm happy to have you as a loyal reader. Thanks! **ERES CHIDA! **(Spanish slang for: YOU'RE AWESOME!)

_And for all those that have begun to read this fic, thank you for reading this! It means a lot!_

**The title of this chapter is the name of an RBD song! Don't own it!**

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**Chapter 8: 'Wanna play'**

Holly looked at it with her eyebrows raised half an inch. "All I see is a key."

Artemis sighed. "Not just a key, Holly, it's the master key. It opens every door in this hotel. We will sneak into one of the rooms, snatch some information from their personal objects, and pass some of our _research_ on to Foaly also, he might want to help. And by _research, _I mean a list of the program for the dance."

"_Might want to?_ He'd dearly love to!" Mulch exclaimed. "If you didn't notice, genius, we are Section 8, not LEP! They're different like you and a monkey are, but slightly."

"And like a dwarf and a goblin are? But only slightly?" Artemis retorted, raising and eyebrow. "I see."

"Oh, Artemis, when did you get such a witty sense of humor? I should write that one down," Mulch looked offended. Compared to a goblin? Good thing Artemis and Mulch were friends.

He shrugged, and walked over to his laptop, and opened a link with Foaly. Artemis had modified a few programs so it could directly get in contact with the underground, specifically Foaly and Holly. What it did was that instead of the usual wires, it worked and received on vibrations that came from Downtown Haven, and vice versa. It was all actually thanks yet again to the fairy technology. Foaly's face appeared, and he seemed to be yelling at someone.

"...Yeah, they're my carrots and not yours! Forget the diet, I'm eating again!"

"FOALY!" Everyone in the room said. Foaly turned to face them.

"You didn't hear that, did you? Please say no."

"Forget about that, anything on Opal?" Artemis asked, looking as if he wanted to slap him.

"Oh, wait," Foaly tapped his keyboard and gazed at the information in front of him. "She was nice enough to send me a video file."

"What did it say?" Holly asked.

" 'You are _so_ going to pay, damn centaur!' her exact words."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Anything else that happens to be interesting and useful that doesn't involve Opal cursing you? Or in this case, damning you?"

Foaly fumed. "So unappreciated! Yeah, well, there's been less traffic on el Paseo de la Reforma. It's usually filled with cars and contamination, but there's barely a passing car." His face stiffened less.

"You did say that she was near the Angel of Independence, but is there anything else besides the fact that it's painted in gold?"

"Four of Mexico's heroes are also buried there," Ali said. "You can't go near the Angel, unless it's the celebration of the Sixteenth of September, or say if Mexico wins an important soccer game, like the world cup, like that's going to happen... but above all, it's a national monument."

"And," Foaly added, "I have recently figured that there are stories that say that the Angel's eyes are made of pure diamonds, and so is the inside, but like I said, just stories, rumor, leyends. You name it."

Artemis thought for a moment. "Gold is a very powerful element, and diamonds are very useful when trying to make some form of energy even more powerful than it already is."

"But what does this have to do with me?" No1 asked, looking confused.

Artemis stared at him, and chose his words carefully. "Well, you _are _the most powerful warlock now, and..." He snapped his fingers. "That's it! Foaly, you try and find anything on Opal's past, while Holly and I will sneak into one of the rooms and find the list of the songs, and bring it here. The rest of you, no offense, but you wouldn't mind if you kept quiet for a couple of hours while Holly and I are gone? I think I have the perfect plan."

"Are you sure you have enough magic in you, Holly?" Artemis asked as he opened the door and looked around the hall, making sure nobody was there.

"Not to the tip to my ears, but I have some, enough to mesmerise" Said a shielded Holly, craning her neck to see that nobody saw her. "I might as well do the Ritual after this, at least find some earth that isn't sand from the beach."

Artemis knew that the Ritual consisted of a fary burying an acorn in earth, and its magic would be restored, but since there were no oak trees or twisted rivers, then Holly's magic would be limited.

"Alright, no one's around, " Artemis concluded, flexing his hand to motion Holly to move, which she did, Artemis couldn't tell. That new suit was working very well for her, almost being undetectable.

"Which room, Artemis?" She asked in a low voice.

"I'd say it doesn't really matter, but just in case, let's take the one at the corner," The young teen pointed to room 304, where a flustered and nervous looking women came out, muttering about how time was short and she barely had time to do the girls' hairs. Holly nudged Artemis at this point, but he nodded, telling her that it'd be alright, and to continue with this.

The lady passed Artemis, who greeted her in Spanish, and she just looked at him and jumped at the sight of him, groaning that she really needed sleep and that she was starting to see teenage vampires. Artemis just scowled and rolled his eyes, and made his way to the room, looking above his shoulder just to make sure no one else came out from the other rooms. Once both of them were in front of the door, Artemis removed the master key from his breast pocket and inserted it in the slot, and then they heard a smooth click, and opened the door. The room wasn't exactly the neatest, but it wasn't a mess either, because it seemed to be a rather large closet with millions of outfits spread around the room, and it was rather difficult to walk along because of the suit cases on the floor, which were neatly stacked.

"Take the shield off." Artemis whispered, but wished he hadn't because at the moment he heard a female voice ring out from the restroom. She had heard the door open, and Artemis wasn't careful enough to make it from stopping the noise. Being a genius was starting to be a burden. "Hide Holly!" He managed to hiss, and the elfin girl obeyed, hiding behind the bed.

"Dul, May, is that you?" The voice said in her native Spanish. She came out of the bathroom, with an iron curler in her brunette hair, and was instantly surprised at the sight of Artemis, who was also surprised. He didn't expect anyone else to come out that soon. He tried to replace his surprisement with an innocent and harmless look on his face, trying to make his blue eyes a bit wide, to add the effect. He put his hands in his pockets, hiding the key.

"Uh, hello." She said, frowning, backing up a step.

"Good evening." Artemis said, trying not to slap himself in the face.

The next moment was followed by an uncomfortable silence. Artemis tried really hard not to look at Holly, who tried to surpress a small grin, and then a groan.

"Well, may I ask who are you?" Anahi asked, her face expressing curiosity after a minute of silence. "Or why are you in here? You might as well answer before I call the guards." Her hands enclosed themselves around a phone.

Artemis spoke. "Oh no, there's no need for that resort, miss, but please, let me introduce myself then," He nodded, speaking in Spanish too, trying to speak as properly and gentleman-like as he could, trying not to scare her, or above all, call the guards. All he needed was trouble, and punch them again. "Artemis Fowl the Second, at your service."

The RBD integrant thought for a second, setting the iron curler to a side of a desk. "Artemis Fowl? Aren't you the winner from Ireland? Everyone here informed us about you and your friends, but I didn't expect to see you here, as seeing you in my room."

"And I'd like to apologize for the intrusion of your privacy," He looked around the room again. "But we can say that this is an emergency that you wouldn't understand. But let me answer the first question: Yes, I'm that contestant from Ireland, and it's a pleasure to meet you finally, my eh... _friend, _Alison, would also like to have that pleasure, so I do hope you get to meet her, she would really like that." Artemis discreetly looked at Holly, who looked impatient and told him to stop all his blabbering with a stern gaze. The Irish boy looked back at Anahi, who was still concerned about him.

"Well, yeah, back to one of the initial question: Why are you in here? How did you manage to enter if you don't have the key?"

He looked at her and decided to tell her the truth. Besides, Holly would have to mesmerise her, it was the reason he had taken her. "As a matter of fact, I did have a way to enter. You see, I took the master key from the counter office after some harmless hacking on the main computer. Why, anything wrong?"

The young woman looked surprised as to hear that this boy could've done that. Especially hacking into a computer. "So what do you want?"

"Oh, don't worry," Artemis said calmly. "Nothing that's going to be used against you, Miss Anahí, on the contrary, I just want the guide of what you're doing tomorrow."

She didn't even consider it. "No way I'm doing that. Not even if I wanted to."

"But I think you _are_ no matter what," He responded, turning to look at Holly, and nodding, his facial expression telling her to appear now. She did. Anahí looked shocked.

"Oh. My-" She didn't finish. "When I said that I believed in fairies, I meant Peter Pan!"

"And there's a lot more where that came from," grunted Holly. Peter Pan wasn't even a fairy, for heave's sake.

"As you can see, Anahí," Artemis said matter-of-factly. "Fairies _do _exist. Isn't that interesting?"

"Artemis, just shut up and hurry up! Anyone might be on their way!" Holly hissed.

"Sorry Holly," He answered her. "You might as well do the mesmer now." He looked at Anahí and smiled. "Annie, enjoy the company of Holly's voice. _Adios."_

"Where are y-" She began, but Holly's face was an inch from her own.

"_Hello there,"_ Holly said, her voice in deep bass tones, looking at her straight in the eyes. "_So, you do know what you're doing tomorrow night, don't you?"_

The woman looked slightly dazed and nodded. "Does it even matter?"

_"_Yes it does. Now," Holly looked forcefully at her. "Where is you song list?"

For a moment, Anahí didn't answer and wondered if her mesmer was working, and then she answered. "I... It's... on the drawer..." She was straining herself from speaking. "On the table... Next to my laptop."

"Artemis, go get it!" She hissed in her normal voice and then went back to mesmer Anahí. The Irish boy rummaged through the drawers, where he found many papers, contracts, shopping lists, and-

"Found it!" He said triumphantly and winked at Holly. "Do what you have to do with her, and I'll see you out here!"

"Roger that." And she turned once more.

Artemis ran through the suitcases, and as he opened the door, he saw Dulce Maria and Maite- the other two RBD integrants. They were looking at him suspiciously as he came out of the room looking hurried.

"Okay..." Dulce Maria whistled. "I really take he wasn't supposed to be with Anahí, was he?" She looked at Maite, who looked confused like the first.

"Who knows..." She looked at Artemis. "Why were you in there?" She asked kindly, and Artemis felt himself blush a bit. She was quite pretty. "Did Anahí invite you?"

"No."

Both blinked.

"But we did talk to her." Artemis slipped something from his lips.

"'We?'" Maite asked.

D'Arvit, he thought, that was stupid. "I meant me. _I _talked to her. Wrong word."

He wasn't sure if those two believed him. In fact, he didn't think he acted correctly. It must've been the innocent look. Dulce and Maite made their way into the room, but before they could get any farther and see Holly, Artemis got in their way and said, "Stop."

There was something in his voice that stunned him silently. He realized his voice sounded too angelic, and did he notice that his voice was honeied with the mesmer. That was something he never expected to happen. The girls stopped on their tracks and looked at Artemis intently, who decided to take a chance.

"Just go back from wherever you came from, and forget that you saw me, in fact, that this actually ever happened. Got that?"

"Oh yeah," Dulce grinned. "We never saw you. Let's go back to my room!" She said joyfully to Maite, who looked happy. Both left instantly.

Artemis sighed and clutched the paper in his hand tightly. He felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"You used the mesmer?" Holly asked surprised. "Actually, don't answer that until we're back safely to your room, if we actually have time. I told Anahi to pretend that I was just part of a dream, and that she never saw you, and that this never happened, so we're good." She shielded.

"How did you know that-"

"I heard you as I was walking out, and I can't say that I'm not surprised."

Artemis groaned and staggered a few steps. "I am, and now I feel a bit sick."

"You need rest now, mesmerising can take a big chunk of your energy, well, for those that have just begun." Holly looked carefully at him. "Well, did you get it?"

Artemis smiled weakly. "We got them, and I got this." He showed her the paper.

Holly smiled elfishly.

"You won't believe what happened when Opal was a teen!" Foaly whinnied, and centaur whinnying was something unique. Again, everyone was reunited. Artemis had sat in a lotus position, spinning around the scheme in his brain, but all he needed was some finishing touches from Foaly, and the list, no matter how sick he felt.

"Why, what happened?" Greg asked.

"Right now, Opal is a pretty face, but by the age of fourteen, she got her first zit! She wasn't happy about that, apparently, she almost killed her father when he said that she was still pretty..." Foaly whistled. "But she still had a busy, evil life."

"What else?"

"During her elementary school years, she burned the teacher when she mentioned that she was loads smarter than him, but the pixie got her back, he failed her in her quantum physics exam, and she never forgot about that, apparently, that was her first sign of thirsty revenge. The old pixie still has the scars, though, and they're not pretty. In high school, the pixie she liked ended up going out with some other pixie she truly detested, so during a prom night, she ruined her dress, and managed to expel both of them for stealing some of the LEP's gold and using it to buy human explosives and sneaking them into the school, thinking they were all on a Mud Man attack. It was mean, but it was still genius, because she actually managed to give proof to the LEP, and those two are still at Howler's Peak. But their is more..."

"As much as I want to enjoy this Foaly, we can't, so just get to the point." Holly reasoned, grinning.

"But what I am about to tell you is the upturn of her life, not to mention it made her even more evil than she already is."

"And that is..." Everyone mused together.

"Little Miss Koboi, as fiery and evil as she is, was never loved by the people she showed a bit of affection to, and no, she didn't love her parents as much as she loves chocolate truffles, and also," Foaly snickered. "never in her life has she been kissed!"

"Wow, that's a big upturn!" No1 said.

"That's why she's a bad person? Because of one lousy kiss?" Greg commented.

"Seriously, girls are hard to understand these days." Butler added.

"I agree." Artemis groaned, massaging his temples.

"Girls have always been like that," Mulch interevened. "And it's always because of me."

"And we thought you were the ones that were hard to understand," Juliet retorted, eyeing the dwarf. "we can't figure out if you like someone or not, and that sucks really badly because it hurts even more if the girl likes you."

"And there's an answer for that: we're not so obvious like you are, even if we like someone." Greg shot back. "Besides, you can't fore someone to like you, and get kissed by someone you don't like that way."

"Don't tell me you kissed somebody by force?" Minerva got into the argument, but Greg just looked at his cousin and didn't answer.

"Come on," Ali said sarcastically. "a kiss isn't everything in life! There's more to it!"

Artemis cut in. "For some people, and it's scientifically proven, kisses can give you a positive meaning of life, and give you a feeling of hope and happiness in you. I can't be sure if they're right, I've never been kissed, and I don't expect to just yet."

"But you really need one, if you get my drift." Holly winked at him. "That might change you a bit more."

Artemis decided not to answer that drift. He turned to Foaly.

"Well, thank you Foaly, I have everything I need."

The centaur gave a royal wave and said good-bye, closing the link.

"Did you get it?" Minerva asked.

Both Artemis and Holly nodded.

"We had to mesmer a few people, but it went alright." Artemis said casually, lying on his bed.

"YOU mesmered?" Butler said shocked. The teen nodded.

"And I feel rather sick because of that. I exercise my magic, but not that talent, but let's move that aside." He took the piece of paper once more, and since people had seen it many times, it had been crumpled.

"What's it called again?"

"_Cariño mio."_ Ali said.

"Cariño mio, cariño mio..." He muttered, his finger traveling down the paper. "Here it is. Ali, you're in luck, they're singing _Tal vez despues _too."

"Yay!"

"That's a fair reaction. _Cariño mio _is after the song,_ Fui la niña. I was the girl... _('Being a good girl' for the official name)How touching."

"Nice title, it must go to those romantic couples. How sweet." Holly assumed, smiling.

Artemis didn't really think it was romantic at all, but the sight of Ali nodding in agreement with her changed his mind.

"_Fui la niña_ is a new song from their new album, and I really liked that one." Ali informed.

"Alright, let's all synchronize. The dance starts at half past six, but from what I've heard, they usually start with what I like to call the introduction, and put on the soundtracks, so that should last about an three quarters of an hour. Then, if I'm right, by about half past seven, RBD should start with the show. _Cariño mio_ is the seventh song, and since they're live, it should take about five minutes each song, so it give us about almost forty minutes to get ready to the plan that I'm about to tell you and give out." He handed out to everyone a small piece of paper with instructions. "Read that and then destroy it by any means as possible."

"Artemis, I don't have anything." Alison replied, looking at her empty hands.

"I'm going to tell you what you're doing personally." He motioned her to follow him. "Would you mind if I told you in your room?"

Ali stood up. "No, go ahead."

They both got out of room 310 and headed to room 311. Ali opened the door, and the bright moon shone over the dark room, bathing them instantly. She turned on the lights and faced him, but Artemis turned them off as he entered. She looked around, looking mistified.

"Okay..." She said uncertainly, wondering why he turned the lights off. "So?"

"Listen, the day you met Opal and faced her, she saw you with great interest. I take you noticed that?" He arranged his features a bit, trying to ignore the fact that he was worried and then he congratulated himself for turning off the lights, to hide his emotions.

She was still looking thoughtful. "I didn't really..."

Artemis was quiet for a minute. He really didn't want to tell her what he had in mind, but if it was the only way of saving the world from Opal Koboi, then he had to risk it, no matter how badly he felt afterwads, especially if something bad happened, and he knew she would get hurt too. He hoped nothing went wrong with this particular scheme.

"Well, you should've."

"Oops. I should've thought about that. Now that brings us to the plan..."

"It's not exactly easy to say..." Artemis began.

"Look, no matter what you say, I'm not going to kill you." Ali said softly.

"Still..."

"Artemis..."

"But you _are_ going to kill me after it happens." He told her and she sighed.

"Very well...I believe she will, um," he tried to say this without any doubt in his voice, and sat on the bed. "she might try and take you hostage, along with No1. That's why she's here, to tease us, that's the first step. And I know that you don't want to do this, but you have to let her take you, it's all part of it. You need to get kidnapped."

"Oh."

"I'm really sorry about this." he said, actually feeling sorry.

She put a hand on her head and blinked. "Are you sure that's the only way?"

"Yes."

"How sure are you?"

" Seventy-six percent sure. I tried every scenario I could come up with, but those just end up in a bad situation, even worse, death. This was the far best plan, along with best case scenarios, and nobody get hurts, not that badly if everything goes alright. But it'll be okay, though, Holly is going to help us with a few stuff."

"Right," she sighed, and rubbed her eyes and looked down at the soles of her sneakers. "Is that all?"

"Not exactly, there's still a bit more, but if I tell you, you'll refuse, and it'll make things a bit more difficult. Difficult for you. Difficult for me."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

Her face had a look of longing. "Please, can you tell me?"

Artemis smiled sadly. "No, the less you know, the easier it will be, and the easier it is, the more believable it'll be, because it will be real. To you at least." Artemis knew that if he told her what he had in mind, it wouldn't be 'supposedly' magical. It wouldn't be enough for Opal to fall for it. He wasn't looking foward to it, either, but for the sake of the human and fairy world, he'd have to stand it. Well, the old Artemis wouldn't, the new decent Artemis was having doubts now.

She looked dissapointed for a second, but shook it away from her features, replacing it with the usual smile, but without the usual peppiness in them. Artemis knew that from her poise, she was nervous, and wasn't feeling too relaxed like the Alison was before she entered the room.

"It'll be alright." He said, patting her hand. She shook her head. "We'll beat her."

"I'm not worried about that, I'm just worried at what might happen to you and the rest if things don't go the way you said."

"We'll be fine. I'm a genius, and I haven't been wrong yet."

He was right, he has never been wrong in his life, but how wrong he was making himself because he couldn't clear himself with his feelings towards her and Minerva. And hopefully the plan didn't change anything between the three of them.

Alison and Artemis reentered the boys' room, and found the rest talking in hushed voices. When they saw them, they stopped somehow relunctantly.

"What?" Artemis Fowl the Second asked, arhing his eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Everyone said.

They all looked suspisiously at each other until Holly broke the silence. "I'll make sure to bring all the equipment tomorrow, don't worry, Foaly's going to send them in, disguised as a perfume package. He's been obsessed with smelling good, unlike some others..." She grinned at Mulch.

"That'd be great Holly. Thanks."

"Uh-huh. Look, I have to go..." She sighed, and turned on a pair of wings that Foaly had kindly given her for the journey. "Back to the Isla Mujeres it is..."

"No."

"No?"

"You should stay here, Holly. Mulch too. We don't know what might happen tonight, I mean Koboi already knows you two are here, and she might fatally try to hurt you. Stay here for tonight. Tomorrow night, things are going to be slightly different."

"You don't bring any positive aura when you say that," Mulch nodded, going to the minifridge and digging into it, looking for something tasty. "Mmm, roast beef, my favorite. Did you order it, Arty?

"Yes, along with some Italian salads."

"For me?" Mulch gasped. "You shouldn't have!"

Artemis laughed again, but this time, in front of people. Everyone seemed too surprised, and he noticed this, but he kept on laughing.

"Well, anyone else hungry?"

A look of understanding spread on everyone's face as they realized they hadn't eaten in hours. They all nodded enthustiastically.

"Right, you should all help with dinner and stuff." Mulch took out the giant roast beef he was about to eat, and placed it on the table that was in the middle of the room. Ali and Minerva also stood up, and took out some of the polystyrene cups and plates and set them on the table, while Juliet fished some plastic cutlery from the counter. Artemis walked towards the fridge at took out some water bottles. Ali looked at him.

"Water?" She eyed him. "We're drinking water?"

"Yes. Why, is there a problem?"

"Nothing. I'll see you in a minute..." She stalked out of the apartment.

"Ooh, Artemis, you just touched your girlfriend's nerve..." Juliet whistled.

"Juliet!" Butler looked down at his baby sister.

"She's not my girlfriend! How many times do I have to say that?" He said, an amused expression on his face. Juliet giggled harder than ever, while Minerva smiled a bit.

Nothing happened for five minutes until a certain Alison Gallegos returned, carrying a huge bottle of two liters of what seemed to be-

"Soda?" Artemis asked.

"Not just soda! It's one hundred percent Mexican! Better than the American ones."

Greg glared at her, but smiled all the same. She set it on the table and turned on the television. It was set on channel five, and people were laughing gleefully in it. Everyone sat down, and began their dinner. Mulch was the one who most excited, began shoveling almost everything, but then he remembered that he was supposed to share. He smiled, looking as if he were apologizing.

"Sorry," He muttered, "Haven't eaten since this morning, it can do bad with my digestion."

No one pushed the dwarf any further. Too much detail could lead to an upset stomach.

Artemis didn't approve of the soda, since it had to much acid and calories, so he just stared at it, a mix of thoughfulness and darkness etched upon his face. But who honestly cares right now? Artemis said to himself, why not give it a try, just imagine when you drank some wine for the first time a few years ago...It didn't kill you, did it?

He pried the cap of, took a cup, and helped himself. When the drink touched his lips, he immediately knew that this was the best drink ever, after a delicious cup of Earl Grey tea. Everyone that knew him very well knew that sugar could make Artemis a bit hyperactive, and soda was one of those sugary sweet things. Butler sensed this, setting his food aside.

"Artemis, just one drink, that's all."

Artemis grinned a broad smile. "I know Butler, I'm a genius." and he drank deeply.

Butler glanced at Ali, who was also shocked, but giggled at the same time, and so did everyone else. Artemis was never a source of entertaiment, and never had he made a group of people laugh, but confused them with his talks of things sane people didn't uunderstand. He told jokes to everyone, he laughed easily with Juliet, and said some things that the Artemis they knew wouldn't say, but the people gathered together prefered the intelectual Artemis, seeing as a crazy Artemis was the last thing they needed, but how to calm him down, no idea.

Artemis kept talking with great amusement until Butler told him to shut up. Artemis just grinned maliciously, making his famous vampire smile stand out even more.

"Butler, what's wrong with you? You should seriously think of relaxing... just be happy about life, enjoy it at its fullest, you won't be young again." Artemis said, raising his cup. "To life!"

Butler slapped his head. You didn't hear that kind of wisdom from this certain Irish teen. He must be really hyperactive to say those true things. He looked at Artemis.

"Artemis..." he said, taking a bottle of water from the fridge. " Be a good boy and stay in you spot..."

Artemis frowned. "Who are you anyway? My dad? Mother perhaps? Of course not! And it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out!"

Butler tried no to jump on top of him and shut him up, so he just opened the bottle and walked slowly towards him, making sure not to scare him off. Artemis knew what he was going to do.

"Would you care to stop walking like an old person? Just get to the point, I just came up with a nice joke I wanna' tell everyone..."

"Well, forget about that!" Butler said simply and sprayed Artemis with a gush of Irish springwater. That woke up Artemis from this kind of trance. The boy shook himself, and he looked dazed for a moment, wiping the water from his eyes. He looked at everyone. "You didn't have to do that! Why, anything wrong?"

"Where you going to say a nice joke that you came up with?" Butler asked him.

Artemis thought. "For a moment I thought I was going to say something, but it didn't involve a joke. People say I don't have a sense of humor, especially you, who always mentions it. All of you should be rolling down the aisles whenever I have constructed a sound pun around a psychological condition."

"People, he's back to normal!" He said triumphantly. Artemis just looked perplexed.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, removing his wet raven hair from his eyes, looking like he was out of something.

"Let's say that you weren't yourself for a while." He pointed to what he drank.

Artemis groaned. "Oh, dear. Sugar. It makes me hyperactive. What did I do? Actually, what did I say?"

"Oh, you were the life of the so-called party." Holly said, looking like she was about burst out laughing. "Told jokes, laughed a lot, said things without actually noticing you said them..."

"Like what?" He asked her, taking a seat on the bed, massaging his temples. He couldn't believe he was getting a headache over a stupid drink.

"Stories of the worst things that have happened to you, like when you got a ninety-nine on a math assigment, when you spelled the word kleptomaniac with a c instead of k at the age of three, " she stared at the flatulent dwarf at the mention of the word. "yeah dreadful times, and..." she looked at the Irish boy. "You did say that Ali was so...pretty, and that had nothing to do with math..."

Greg decided to comment too. "You also asked her out, don't forget that."

"WHAT! I did?" Artemis groaned.

"No, but you fell for it." Greg said casually, leaning on the wall. "So easy to fool, genii are."

Artemis put his head in his hands, looking at Ali between his fingers. She was embarassed, no doubt about it, but could it be that she looked-pleased? He didn't say a thing for a minute or two, wishing that he hadn't drank any Pepsi at all, so he didn't have to say what he thought. Seriously, this was the most embarassing thing that ever happened to him. Caffeine and sugar had different effects on every different person, but for Artemis, it was like getting drunk. He said things and did things without noticing, and it explained why he never liked sweets, especially lollipops. He sighed and looked up the television, and a man was giving a broadcast on what seemed to be in front of the Angel of Independence.

"I think you should all see this." He said. They all got up and saw what was going on.

"...The thing is," the newscaster said. "is that there's nobody here in the city. No car, nothing, and you expect traffic on the biggest city in the world, but no, _nada_. Not a live soul here. It is said that everyone left at the same time, not paying attention to where they were actually going...Huh?" The man touched his ear, hearing the little voice coming out of his earpiece. "Carlos, back to you."

Another man appeared. "That is very interesting. Reports have said that there is nothing surrounding the Angel or buildings close to the Angel since two hours ago, but on the bright side, less contamination for the biggest city in the world! Well, back to the current show, and sorry for interrupting." The news dissapeared to be replaced by an American show with the dubbing in Spanish.

Holly spoke. "The Angel of Independence, That's where Opal is."

"I know, and she's already starting to play the game. No traffic today, that's not a coincidence." Artemis tried to concentrate. "She needs the Angel, it's all pointing to that direction: Mexico City, and that's were they're taking you." He looked at Ali and No1, who were pale.

"But there's nothing inside the Angel, it's just stone," Minerva said thoughfully. "But there's the balcony too..."

"I told you, no one can go up there, even if that balcony's there! Not unless you...I don't know-"

"Drill on the inside?" Artemis asked.

"Yeah!" A look of dawning spread on her face. "Oh no. Please say no, Artemis, please."

"Sorry, but it should be an 'oh yes' reaction, she did that, which is why there's nothing since two hours ago."

"No, not that! I told you those action heroes are buried there. Can she show at least a bit of respect for them? Even in death?"

"No." Everyone said together.

"Thanks for not helping!"

"She mesmerised the people to get away from there, but she's not that powerful, she must've used those twins. They must not be finished yet, or things would've been back to normal, don't you think?" Artemis turned the television off. "No, she needed time, that's why she wasn't here to meet us personally, she was planning on what seemed to be rooms insides the Angel, to have both of you locked up. She's thinking of getting Holly and myself through you two, and killing all of us, as her sign of revenge. Then she'll get the rest."

"So either way, we're all going to die, aren't we?" She said miserably.

"No, we're not." Holly said in what she hoped was a courageous voice. "We have Artemis and Foaly. They're clever enough to get us out of this one, and we have been in much worse situations than this."

No1 decided to say something. "Worse when Abbott tried to kill us, taking us about three years?"

Holly was dumbfounded. "Er, yeah. But it wouldn't be the first time we face Opal, this would be the third time."

"And like people say, the third time is the beaten one." Artemis quoted, nodding altogether. "With all of us together, she doesn't stand a chance, does she?"

They all nodded, looking reassured now.

"I think all of you you go to bed now," Butler said firmly. "it was a busy day, and I expect all of you are tired. Go get a good rest for tomorrow, and Artemis," He said, looking at the young boy who was nearing the table again. He stopped.

"Yes?" He asked innocently.

"No more soda!"

Artemis shrugged. "I wasn't going to drink any, I just want some water, for goodness sake..." He looked at the manservant, and he found the truth in those blue eyes. He nodded, and Artemis took a long drink of water. He put the drink down.

"Alright, goodnight to all of you, and," He eyed everyone guilty. "sorry if I wasn't acting like myself, it doesn't happen very often."

"Then again, it never does." Butler said, the comment coimng out from the corners of his lips.

Everyone accepted his apology, while Ali just smiled softly and mouthed _'Hasta mañana, Artemis...' _(Translation: Until tomorrow, Artemis...). Artemis returned the smile, waved at her, and he marched off, Butler and Greg following his wake.

"Well Arty," Greg said, looking at the other teen. "That was quite a show you gave us..."

"What, besides telling you my most embarassing moments?" Artemis said, not happy with being called Arty.

"Embarassing? If you can call that embarassing..." Greg's dark green eyes eyed Artemis with a an eyebrow up high, going into the room. "No, you actually listened to some, _rebellious_ music, if you get my drift, and danced away with Juliet, Ali and my cousin. They thought at first you were practicing for tomorrow. How surprised they were when they found out you weren't."

Artemis looked shocked, and Greg walked towards the bathroom, leaving him and the manservant alone.

"Greg always does that," Butler informed his young charge. "he must enjoy making you suffer."

"Did I actually give them dance sessions?" Artemis asked weakly, looking timidly at the huge bodyguard. "I must've been horrible. Worse than horrible, I should say."

Butler actually chuckled, planting a huge hand on his master. "Oh, no, on the contrary, you were excellent, I didn't even know you knew how to dance! You literally swept Ali and Minerva off their feet, and surprised Juliet with those moves, and so she challenged you with the song _Money money_. She says it's one of your songs, apparently describes what you think and feel. Of course, you beat her, if you wanted to know. She's still burned though."

Artemis thought about the song, translating itself from Spanish to English inside his head. He realized it did tell certain truths about him. Money, money indeed. "At least there's something less to worry about..._ 'cause I won't make you cry, anyway." _

"What was that again?" He arched an eyebrow.

Artemis realized what he said. "Nothing, forget it. Just get a goodnight's sleep, we have many things to do tomorrow."

He had not meant to say that. The last part was a quote from that song, which mysteriously was stuck in his head, and certainly, no one was going to cry, anyway. Not on his watch.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Great, now my favorite music group, **_**RBD, **_**is involved! And everyone (including Artemis) is loving them and their songs! YAY! But I do feel bad because Anahí, Dulce and Maite got mesmerised by Arty and Holly, but hey, I was, and still am, in a bad mood, so I think I got it all out on them. Oops! °°! And also on Artemis, because I made him dance **_**Money Money **_**with Juliet, and sorry for not writing about that, but it would've been a bit difficult for me to get their steps down. But Greg saved the day and transfered my annoyance to Artemis. Sorry Arty! But that song **_**is **_**your song, very fitting, after **_**Tal vez Despues.**_

**Artemis: **Perhaps, but why take your anger out on me? You should see someone about that.

**Me: **Hey, don't blame me! Blame the school pressure and... (mutters off)

**Artemis: **And what else, precisely?

**Me: **Er... Remember that guy I told you about?...

**Artemis: **(blushing a soft pink, his expression softening) Oh. Did he hurt you again?

**Me: **(tries to change the subject) I- Why don't you go back with Ali? I'm sure she's wondering where you are.

**Artemis: **Ali? It would be great if you admitted that you're-

**Me: **(Kisses him in the cheek to shut him up) I gotta go! Love ya! (runs off)

**Artemis: **(Caressing the spot where she kissed him) Hmm. Girls. (Then his mind works out what she actually said) She loves me?

**Songs mentioned: Money Money, Tal vez despues, Fui la Niña, Cariño Mio**


	9. Chapter 9: The sweet truth

**YAY! Chapter nine is here! I'm so happy!**

**Okay, so before you even go on, dear reader, you might want to pay a bit of attention to my lame excuses as to why I take a while to post: I just had the bimestral exams, and so far, I'm doing great, all I need to know what my bimestral grade is, which will be counted for the high school I get in next year, which brings me to my other excuse: I've been having talks with people representing the best high schools of the country, and then those vocational orientation exams, along with the normal exam, 'What's you family made up of?' and of course, the fact the I already chose my top two choices, which is great because if I pass the exam and stay there, I'll go directly to the university , since the HS is part of it, but I still need to find at least another ten school, counting the level of education, its specialty/jobs, and their locations, which adds so much pressure, and the official papers are going to be given out next week, so all my practice I've been doing on copies will be for real this time... And according to my last name, I have to turn those in during the first week of March! Yikes! so my posting might be pause for at least two weeks, but I won't stop, so please don't give up on me or my story! PLEASE! This fanfic means a lot and having you people read it gives me an honor and more motivation to write on!**

**I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR AN RELATED CHARACTERS (c) Eoin Colfer**

**But of course, you know that! I'm bringing my lawyer to see if I can manage to own the characters, but Artemis isn't really helping, but he will be mine! –Evil laughter-**

**To the story.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 9: The sweet truth**

**The Angel of Independence, Mexico City, Opal Koboi's shuttle**

"Miss, it's done." The twins said altogether. They had finished about ten minutes ago, and it was already half past nine. They had to put the last finishing touches in the cellars, and strengthened the foundation with extra concrete, and removed the coffins even deeper underground, their guilt of disrespect dissapearing like dirt being wiped away by a piece of cloth.

"Good, for once you didn't do a stupid mistake!" Opal giggled. She was in a good mood, because everything was going according to her plan, and she was in a mood to say what she thought, offending the twins as being one of her ways of entertainment. "Are you sure it's enough space for both of them? You must have noticed that there isn't enough space up there."

"Oh yes, enough for two-"

"Shush!" Koboi pointed her index finger to her lips that were covered with blood-red lipstick. "What did I tell you about repeating yourselves? Or having conversations of my plans? What? Tell me!"

The Brill brothers hung their heads. "Not to say anything about anything. Sorry."

"You should be even more because if Fowl manages to escape alive, you will go down with me. I haven't forgotten."

"We know, miss, sorry."

She looked at them scathingly. "Get out of my sight and finish giving some last finishing touches, and clean the Angel, I can't stand seeing it all contaminated! And be careful not to mess anything up."

Scant took a chance. "Er, Miss Koboi..."

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you don't want to install those cameras? They might come up with something and you might want to be informed."

Opal curled in her seat like a feline. "Now that I think about it, do install them, but shield the cameras or use memory latex, it doesn't matter which, it'll give them the feeling that they're alone when they can't see it. Then they'll start the talk, give me a blueprint to what they're thinking, they don't stand a chance against us. Not this time." She giggled hard, shaking in her seat.

They looked frightened at Opal's beautiful, yet maddening look. Never in their lives had they seen her like that. She must be going downhill. Way below the hill.

**Templo del Zafiro, Cancún, Mexico. The next day.**

"Here's the equipment," Holly said, taking out some of Foaly's technology out of what seemed to be a golden box with the leyend 'With Love' (A/N:I know it's Hilary Duff's, but I couldn't think of another name.) Artemis noticed this.

" 'With Love'?" Artemis asked. "Foaly must have a lady friend hidden somewhere he didn't tell us about..."

"Oh yeah, he does, but it's not the reason. There's nothing suspicious about perfume on the day there's going to be a dance. The ladies like to have a sweet scent to give off. They think they guys will go after them. All _with love_."

"It is interesting. My mother uses one that gives the sweet smell of white petals in water. Quite charming, actually."

"I can imagine. Okay," She checked the equipment. "iris cams, recorders, cam foils. Everything's here."

"Are the iris cams in the specific color? We don't want an hazel iris cam instead of-"

"I didn't mess up this time, Artemis," Holly said patiently. "Correct eye color, according to your wonderful description of your girlfriend's eyes."

"She is not my girlfriend." Artemis said in a pained expression. "Why are you still messing with that?"

"I meant it as in a girl that happens to be a friend. And you're supposed to be a genius, for goodness sake!"

It took Artemis a moment to realize he was being ribbed. "For your information, Holly, I-" he stopped, realizing that he had no idea what he was going to say. He looked down, but decided against it when he realized Holly was looking right up at him.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or more precisely, did the little lioness get your tongue?"

Artemis recovered. "Lioness? Nice, the animal that represents her zodiacal sign."

"Yeah, yeah, not the first time you can't come up with a come back that involves a girl subject. Not surprising."

"Well, I wouldn't have to resort to look like an idiot with nothing to say if you didn't bring that up," Artemis said back. "and I suppose it depends on who you're talking about."

She gaped at him. "I thought it was obvious. Maybe it's a pretty young Mexican girl with the nickname '_Aliss_ '...Does that ring a bell?"

"I know we're talking about her."

"So why ask?"

Artemis said nothing again, and walked towards the window, his deep blue eyes fixed upon the turquoise sea. He took a deep breath.

"I'm so confused, sometimes I think we're talking about Minerva, but at the end, it turns out to be Ali. It doesn't make any sense at all."

Holly squeezed his shoulder gently, following his gaze. "Artemis, of course it doesn't make sense! Artemis, it's all in front of you, and it doesn't involve logic or graphs. You have a crush on both of them, and you can't decide on who, but you're inclining yourself towards Ali a bit more, she has something that keeps you aware of what you're doing, maybe keeps you awake at night, thinking about them, or just Ali, that's your confusion. It's completely normal."

"I haven't been able to sleep because of her. She's always in my dreams, smiling, and I really enjoy watching that smile. It's so honest and full of happiness... But," Artemis looked at her, for once looking like a young teen his age. "Normal, as in..._love?_"

She nodded. "It's a beautiful thing, love is. It's the best thing that can happen to you, gives you hope, happiness, like nothing in the world can go wrong, but if you get dissapointed really badly by that certain person, you'll suffer really badly."

Artemis's glance went down. "I don't want to suffer because of her."

As Holly heard all of this, she couldn't get used to the the idea that the words _Artemis_ and _love_ could get into one sentence, forming the sentence _Artemis is in love_, or more appropiately, _Artemis has a crush_. It was sweet, but seeing the young boy looking confused about a subject that he couldn't understand that involved feelings, emotions, and love just seemed to have brought a tear to her eye. She wiped it away before the Irish boy could see it. Seeing Artemis grow on the inside was touching indeed.

"Are you alright, Holly?" Artemis came out of his reveree. Holly shook herself.

"Yes, why?"

"For a moment I could've sworn you were crying."

"Of course not! I just remembered some stuff."

But Artemis wasn't fooled; He could tell by her soft expression and relaxed state that she had been touched by his reaction with the delicate subject.

"You can laugh if you want, I don't mind, it's pretty stupid." Artemis shook some nonexistent dirt from his suit.

Holly looked surprised. "Pretty stupid? of course it's not! Believe it or not, but you've finally said something sensible."

"Sensible?"

"As in you finally feel something decent, not like greed and evil. Love. Just love."

Artemis smiled. "Thank you for retelling the story of my old life. But there's something bothering me..."

"What is it?" Holly wondered.

"I- I just don't know how she feels towards me...that's always in my mind, and it won't leave me in peace unless I know."

"Really?"

"Yes," Artemis sighed. "It'd make me happy if she said yes."

"I can ask her if you want," Holly piped in. "you know, girl to girl, it's less pressure."

Artemis's eyes widened. "Would you?"

Instead of answering, Holly nodded, grinning at the boy's look of hope. It's the first time she'd seen that look on this certain Mud Boy.

"When, though?" Artemis said, looking at his clean nails, removing the hope out of his face.

Holly thought for a moment. "Tonight would be a good moment, but before the dance, maybe when they're getting ready, she won't be expecting it."

"Usually surprisement doesn't bring any good, but if you insist..."

"I think it would be a good moment, but if you insist on not wanting to know..."

"Oh, very funny... You're the female, females are the ones that are supposed to know what to do." Artemis said.

"That is true, after all."

They both looked at each other for a second, Artemis looking at Holly's mixture between hazel brown and deep blue, Holly doing the same.

"So, you're going to ask her tonight?"

"Artemis!"

"Sorry, I'm in a good mood. Not to show off my genius though."

Holly snorted. "Heavens, I wonder why."

Artemis pointed towards the door. "Let's get everyone, and let's not mention this conversation at all."

"Roger that."

**XZxNxZxNxZxNX**

"What is it?"

Ali was looking at a small dark-brown iris cam sitting gently on the palm of her hand. Minerva and Greg also looked at it with amazement, but Alison's expression was the most surprising.

"Iris cam," Holly explained, looking at her behind mirrored eyes yet again. "a miracle on nanotechnology, using Foaly's exact words, but to make it easier to understand, imagine all the equipment iyou can imagine in one small iris. We've gotten away with it."

"Cool, and..."

"Yes?" Artemis took a chance to a swift glance at her.

"They're dark brown, just like my eye color. Am I going to wear this tonight?"

He nodded. "Of course, we have to keep an eye on you, don't you think? The camera is connected to Foaly, and to my laptop, just in case we need to see something else and need to come back. This iris cam should give us an inside look at Opal new recreation of the Angel. Both inside and out, so make sure you look around carefully, every little detail, no matter how unsignificant it seems, since anything can be useful."

"Okay, I got that, but how does this thing work?" She rounded on Holly.

"Oh, that's really simple, how it works. It was created while you humans were still knocking rocks together,"

"I'm so proud of my heritage. Anyway, continue." Ali said.

"Well, like I said, it can magnify your vision, measures your heat temperature, x-ray scans, and it's useful for- well, anything (A/N: I rather forgot what other things an iris cam contains since I haven't read the books since last month). All my guardian angel, Foaly has to do is fire up his computers, and he can order your cam to do whatever he wants it to. He can magnify your vision by four if he wants right now, of course, if you're wearing it."

"Amazing, all the things you did while we were doing cave paintings."

"That and more!" Mulch yelled from the bathroom.

"What about No1?" Minerva asked, looking at the small creature sitting next to Mulch.

"He should be fine, but it's Ali we have to worry about."

"Really?" Greg's eyes glanced at him, a malicious grin forming on his lips. "How badly?"

"Completely off the point, Greg." Artemis sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and blush. Ali was beginning to be his weak spot. "No1 can control his magic, I presume, but Alison isn't exactly the type to control it like him."

Ali's eyes traveled towards him, glinting brighter than ever. "Are you saying that I'm uncontrollable?"

Artemis realized what he said. "Don't get offended-"

She smiled weakly and jumped on the bed, lying down, looking at the ceiling, her eyes shining, as if she were about to cry. "Not offended, really, but I've been trying to control and not let it out in front of people. I know we kind of worked on it, but it's still troubling. I'm kind of impulsive..."

"Kind of?" Greg said, grinning. "You're one of the people that doesn't have a problem with saying what you have in mind. Truth to be told, it's really admirable."

She sat up. "Aw, thanks Greg! That was sweet!"

Greg just blushed and grinned again. Artemis looked at both of them, seeing both of them smiling at each other, like long lost friends...Which of course, they would be in a couple of days, but he couldn't bring himself up to say that it'd be over in a few days' time. So much happened in those short days, and Artemis realized he had feelings he had never expected to feel, now at least, and it was comforting, not like the comfort money used to give him in the lost past, but a 'you got a friend in me forever' sort of thing. Artemis closed his eyes for a moment, and thought. Really, he said to himself, I have got to stop thinking about her... at this rate, I should be going mental...but I just can't...

_And it was true. After the conversation with Holly about Ali, he hadn't been careful with the things he has been doing lately. In fact, he was reacting rather clumsily to everyone. For instance, during lunch, he accidently spilled some of his mineral water over himself for looking at a certain person that happened to be sitting in front of him, or how, after lunch, walked towards Minerva to ask her a question, but instead of saying her name, said someone else's, as in Alison, making her go into a fit of giggles until she saw Omar, a rather handsome teen with dark eyes, dark hair and a hypnotizing smile. It quieted Minerva instantly and walked away towards him to greet him, blushing as she went, leaving Artemis standing by himself in the lobby, looking confused. Afterwards, Gregory appeared and seemed to sneak off to the restaurant where they dined the first night in Cancun. Artemis couldn't help but follow him, his curiosity about to burst. He hid behind a door and saw Greg trying to talk to a pretty girl with jet black hair, who seemed just as confused as he was. Artemis, an expert at lipreading, no matter what language, had no trouble interpreting what they were saying to each other. He smiled as he saw Greg telling her if they'd be able to see each other at the dance, and Zeltzin just giggled, but seemed to understand it just a bit, and nodded. When they saw someone coming, Zeltzin hurried off, giving Greg a swift kiss on the cheek, looking back and waving at him. The American boy stood there, touching his cheek, and Artemis had to stifle a grin forming on his thin lips. Young Gregory Paradizo being sensible... _

_As Artemis thought about Greg and Zeltzin, he felt a person speak to his ear softly._

_"I__t's not exactly nice to spy on other people."_

_He turned to see Ali grinning at him, her hands crossed. A small, golden spark jumped between her fingers. For some reason, she looked a bit embarassed. Artemis looked carefully at her, and he couldn't help noticing that she looked very pretty right now. He blinked. He always thought that. This was getting strange for him._

_"I wasn't spying on them. On the contrary, I don't like the idea of invading people's privacy."_

_"Really? And what were you doing then?"_

_Artemis was stung and decided not to answer. Ali led him away from the restaurant and they walked together, one of Ali's arm around his neck. _

_"What are you doing here?" Artemis asked her._

_"I was bored so I just decided to take a walk, and look who I found: you. The story of my life."_

_"Truly interesting."_

"_Yep. So, were you trying to pick up tips or something?"_

_"Tips? On what?"_

_"That's something you'd know." She shrugged._

_"But still, tips on-" Artemis began, frowning._

_"Maybe how to charm a girl?" Ali guessed, letting go of him and clapping her hands. "Greg's kind of good at that. I'm a sole witness, and I know what it feels like."_

_Artemis blushed hard. "No, what makes you say that?"_

_"Well, Mr. Fowl, from what Minerva told me about you before we met, you're not the type that goes out with girls on dates and stuff,"_

_"True." He nodded. "I have other things in mind than girls.Very important things, to be exact."_

_"But you've been kind of distracted for a while, according to her.Obviously after your interesting travel. Got a close friend somewhere? Emphasis on close." She looked hopeful for some reason._

_Artemis thought quick and decided to give it a go, choosing his words carefully. I'm going to hate myself after this, his mind said. "Well, maybe I'm finally starting to notice a friend somewhere...a really nice, pretty, and smart girlfriend, but not close, on the contrary, she's far away from where I am right now. She's in Europe at the moment."_

_He waited to see her reaction, and he could swear that her features got stony and cold for a minute, but pretended to ignore it. She recovered quickly._

"_Oh. Well, um, that's...good." She muttered, looking down._

"_I feel happier than I could've ever been. It's a new feeling, if you get what I'm trying to say." He smiled at her, hoping it'd meet his eyes, but she was still looking down._

" '_Course, it's natural...Why did I have to start this?..." She walked a away from him, biting her lower lip as she went, muttering in Spanish and English. Artemis thought her voice was a bit higher now. "I- I have to go, I have some business to finish...I'll see you later...yeah, bye." She ran off, her sneakers trailing behind._

_Again, Artemis was left alone, but happier than before, but some guilt deep in him. Of course, he knew the answer to that reason now that things were clearer than water, but decided to move them aside, away from his mind, his heart, since things were about to heat up with Opal on the lose._

**ZxZxZxZxZ**

"Anyway," Artemis continued, waking up from his thoughtful reverie. "you all know what to do, and what these marvels do. Right?"

During his thoughful absence, Holly had explained to everyone how Foaly's technology worked with the appropiate words. He looked at Alison, and he saw that she was still a bit stony-looking and maybe... dissapointed after the false confession. Artemis couldn't help but feel guilty and happy at the same time.

"Yeah, we do," she spoke up before anyone else could, her eyes glinting red. "I need to go, so I'll see all of you later."

Everyone seemed to surprised yet again to say some remark on her behavior, so all they did was look at each other. Holly wasn't fooled though. She glinted at Artemis for a second and mouthed, _'What did you do now?' _giving him a stern look afterwards. Artemis just looked at her and bit his lower lip, not meeting her eyes.

Holly decided to take matters into her own hands and followed her, shielding on her way.

Holly didn't think it was a good idea to take matters into her own hands. The afternoon sun was blazing on her, making her feel as if she were on fire, which she literally was, and she could swear that there were some looks from small toddlers looking at her as she passed by the beach, and then she found Alison, walking along the edge of the sea, looking at the sun. Holly flew towards her, hoping to do this quickly as shielding would only waste her magic, and no oak trees were to be found in the beautiful beach of Mexico's Cancún.

"Ali?"

She looked to her right. "Holly?" she whispered.

"Yes. What happened? A moment ago you were fine, and now you're..." She looked into her eyes, not wearing the mirrored sunglasses anymore. "Crying."

She wiped them away. "I'm getting so fed up of crying too. I just can't help it. It comes out all the time. I can't stand this."

"But why are you crying?" Holly got in front of her, and even though Ali couldn't see her, she stopped on her tracks. "Does this have to do with Artemis?"

She didn't say a word for a minute.

"Well?" Holly asked again. "Is it Artemis?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You haven't talked to him straightly after Artemis told us about Greg and Zeltzin..." She twiddled her fingers. "Am I right in thinking that?"

She sighed a long sigh, looking at the sun again, not caring if it affected her eyesight. "How do I know I can trust you? I just met you."

"Just trust me, Ali."

"I'm sorry, but- I just can't help but do trust you. Stupid weakness."

"It's not a weakness, you just have a way of seeing people- and fairies."

"I still feel so... I don't know what to think anymore. I feel so angry and sad all the time ever since I found out I'm not going to be able to go back to the US."

"Life's like this, sometimes it does that for reasons you cant' understand..."

"I know, it's just that I was debating for a scholarship, and I managed to get it, but I can't use it now..."

For a moment she was quiet and heaved a long sigh.

"You promise not to say anything?" She asked mournfully.

"I promise." As Holly said this, she crossed her fingers behind her back, even though she was still shielded.

"I don't know how I feel towards him, somedays he can be a pain in the butt, sometimes he can be sweet and nice, but above all, I don't know if I like him or Greg, and to pull things off, Greg already likes someone else. I don't care though, its his life, but Artemis is just different."

"So you're saying that you _do_ like Artemis?"

"Well, I'm not sure...maybe, but still, he likes someone else, so there's no chance."

"He does?" Holly wondered if it was Minerva for a second. "Who?"

"He didn't say who, he just said she was nice, smart, pretty, and she was someone who happens to be far away. That doesn't bother me, I mean, he has all the liberty in the world to like anyone, but its the fact that he might've felt something reciprocal towards me, but it's not like that."

Holly thought she was still missing something, but she thought it was a pretty stupid idea to make Ali jealous, and this idea coming from Artemis Fowl the Second was just surprinsingly the stupidest thing he'd done, in fact _the only_ stupid thing he'd done in his life.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Holly asked calmly, making a mental note to kill Artemis Fowl the next time she saw him.

"You have no idea how much."

"But you really like him, though?" Holly asked again. "But answer: yes or no?"

"Yes I do!" She yelled it out, and several people turned to look at her. She didn't notice. "He can be a bit annoying, but there's something in him that I really like, I mean, he's smart, funny, nice, and good-looking, and I definetely admire his wit and intelligence... But there's something that's keeping me away from him, like, I can't get too close to him...Do you get it? But he's driving me crazy so badly. I cant' stop thinking about him."

Holly was surprised. Never in all those years she had known Artemis had she found someone that felt something special towards him, maybe after Minerva, whom Artemis had nursed a soft spot, but Alison must really like him and care for him for not speaking any lower. These last few days were turning out to be quite emotional for both Artemis and Alison. Holly wished she could be back in Haven, at least to hear Foaly and Mulch bickering, even if it got annoying later on.

"I think I do," she said after a minute's consideration. "maybe in other words, you get nervous when you're close to him. But it doesn't make sense, though, you're always playing with him, and you're always close."

"Can't explain that either, but when I say close, as in when I'm not messing with him, well, I get some funny feeling in my stomach, and thousands of sparks come out of my hands."

"As in 'little butterflies flowing around, and always dreaming about him and you' kind of feeling?" Holly asked, reassured.

"Something rather similar to that." Ali smiled softly.

"Yeah, it's teen love. Just enjoy it, but at your age, it's confusing, painful, sweet- one of the greatest moments of your young life."

"Thanks Holly." She replied. "but I just can't help think about Artemis and that other girl. It just adds more pain, and more sparks." Holly smiled for a second. "I'm not trying to be funny here."

Holly wiped the smile off her face. "Sorry, but you seem to be getting used to the magic coming out of you. It's good though."

"I need help with my feelings for Artemis, not with my magic."

"Well," Holly agreed. "just be yourself with him; He respects those who aren't afraid of him and don't be afraid of getting close to him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind-" Holly decided to shut her mouth since she had let something slip about Artemis. Alison noticed this and her eyes narrowed.

"He wouldn't mind what, exactly?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Holly! You started it, so now finish it!"

Not wanting to see her impacient and sad at the same time, Holly decided to tell her the truth- well, just a small bit. "You see, I kind of have the feeling that Artemis may like someone right here with us." She paused.

"Who?"

"I have the suspicision that it might be...you."

Ali's watery eyes were replaced by a gleaming light of happiness, her lips painting a smile on her now radiant face.

"Seriously?"

"I'm not sure, that's just what I think, but with Artemis, anything is possible, I mean, he doesn't talk about his feelings that much."

Ali pondered. "There's a point...um, Holly?"

"What?"

"Do you mind if I ask you a small favor?"

"Go ahead."

"Can you ask Artemis if he," She casually touched her hair, straightening it even if it already was a bit straight. "likes me?"

"Sure I can," Holly was actually smiling now. These two liked each other very much... how can they not be together?

"Let's go back, how about that?" Holly said, gently pressing the wight of her hand into Ali's shoulder. "You girls have to get ready for tonight."

Ali checked her watch. "But it's five o' clock. It's a bit early."

"For you it isn't. Your hair, makeup, and all that stuff you normally do. Don't you want to look pretty for Artemis?"

"Shut up, Holly." Ali laughed, walking along with a shielded Holly. "But I wouldn't mind."

**XDXDXD**

Artemis and Butler were alone in their room, while Greg and Minerva were walking along, talking about their plans for Greg's return home after this. Mulch and No1 were in the bathroom yet again, doing what, no idea, but everyone thought that it became some sort of club for them. Juliet was down at the pools, having a time of relaxation for herself.

"Artemis, what'd you do?" Butler asked again. It was the third time he asked this question, but Artemis just couldn't bring himself to answer, too deep in thought. "You told her something, didn't you?"

Artemis decided to answer at last, thinking that he might explode if Butler asked him this again. Artemis truly hated it when people repeated the same thing over and over. "I didn't mean to, but it sort of came out of my mouth without expecting it."

"What though?"

"Maybe I told her that I was attracted to someone, I was finally starting ot notice someone and she got all moody afterwards."

"Let me get this straight: You told her you liked somebody, so in other words, you decided to make her jealous. How brilliant."

"I knew I was going to say something like that, but I didn't actually mean to say anything out loud."

"No offense, but it was a stupid idea. Jealousy can bring bad misunderstandings between people, especially if they feel something towards each other."

"I noticed that Butler, thanks for mentioning it. After that, I decided it wasn't exactly one of my most brilliant plans, but Butler, you should have seen her reaction, to me it was a good sign."

"That she likes you back, also?" Butler guessed. Artemis looked at his bodyguard, his eyes shining.

"You know too? About what I feel towards her?"

The huge manservant nodded slowly. "Think about it, Artemis, you two are a bit obvious when you're together, you two tease and mess with each other most of the time and it's normal, your hormones are acting up. I wasn't born yesterday, I can tell sometimes how you feel, I've known you since you were born."

The genius nodded his head, staring at the Eurasian man. "It's just difficult, Butler. Why, I don't know, and what's the difficult thing, also no idea about that, but I'll admit it: I do like her, I'm not afraid to say it to you, and you can't imagine how much. I know its a bit early, since we met each other almost four days ago, but I can't help having feelings for her. She's great, she's funny, smart, and breathtakenly beautiful. She makes me feel like there isn't anything I can't do. She makes me crazy."

"I never heard you express your feelings this way, so deep, and so innocent, Artemis."

Artemis shook his head, his raven black hair following his moves. "I'm not being deep or innocent, I'm just trying to clear everything, willing myself not to like her at all. I can't be with her."

"Why?"

"I don't think she'd be happy with me, and we're rather opposites, and I don't think that'd work out between us. I just can't."

"Don't think about that, that's going to be very painful, because the more you try to forget her, the more you'll miss her, and the more you'll like her." Butler advised, patting the young teen.

"How badly, though?" Artemis replied. "More than this? It hurts already."

"What do you mean?"

"She likes Greg, I can't forget her reaction when she told me, and it felt like I just got stabbed on the inside." He buried his head in his palms, his breath slowing down.

"She knows Greg likes someone else, she's not stupid to get her hopes up again, and she might be trying to forget him with someone else..."

He looked up. "Who?"

Butler looked playfully at Artemis, a look you didn't see very often. "I think it's you... Always talking to you, messing with you, Artemis this, Artemis that. She just can't help it, it's obviously you."

Artemis's soft look stiffened, his blue eyes cold. "Well, I am not going to be used as an object for her own means, that's for sure."

Butler sighed deeply. "You're not getting it. What I'm trying to say is that she fell for you the moment she saw you, and she got confused, between you and Greg, since both of you are at the same place, and that may have brought a few unhappy tears along the way, but the point is that there's nothing to be worried about, Artemis. You like her. She likes you. What's not to get?"

"_That!"_ Artemis stood up, looking at the older Butler sibling."She also likes me, and that makes me really happy, but what am I supposed to do now? I already mentioned that we can't be together!" He looked hopeless.

Butler thought for a second. "You two _can_ be together. Just because you're opposites doesn't mean that you can't be happy. As long as you feel the same towards each other, then nothing can separate both of you. I'd advice you to ask her out on some proper date, and perhaps..." He smiled. "Make her your first girlfriend."

Artemis froze at the sound of the word 'girlfriend'. He smiled at the thought, but it dissapeared like the wind. "Look, this is all a theory, you know. We really have no idea if she does like me or not. Let's not jump to the conclusions."

"Holly's with her right now," Butler informed her. "They might be talking about that, who knows. Girl-to-girl conversations. She might be clearing her mind a bit with Holly."

Artemis's stomach lurched. "I didn't think about that." He said rather slowly, more to himself than to Butler. "Oh, that can't be good."

"I think it _is _good."

Artemis thought for a minute. "You're right, maybe I should go and apologize about the whole incident. It was so stupid from the beginning I really have no idea why I did it if I knew it'd end up like this. Genius or not, it's still obvious."

"Hormones. They make you do things without noticing you're really doing them. Be happy with them, they made you a favor."

Both males chuckled afterwards, but returned to their usual posture.

"Okay then," Artemis breathed. "I'll see you later." He walked out of the room, leaving a proud Butler behind.

Teens, Butler thought as he checked his Sig Sauer, when in love, who knows what they'll do next. But then Butler realized that it was Artemis Fowl the Second he was referring to, and being a genius in love could cause some trouble, especially if it was Artemis. _Artemis!_ He decided to follow him, being sure he wasn't spotted by the teen.

_Love and crushes, _the Eurasian man thought. _It's enough to drive people crazy._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Butler is right: Love is enough to drive people crazy, and with Valentine's day coming, it'll drive me crazy because I really don't like this day! 8P!**

**Ah, but Artemis seems to be enjoying what teen love is, and apparently, Ali has suffered from it, but she might be ready to give Arty a chance... Hmm, all the characters are with the Valentine's fever, including Greg! **

**Artemis: ****-**taps me on the shoulder- You dislike Valentine's day?

**Me: **Apparently, I just said that, Artemis.

**Artemis: -**rolls his eyes- Perhaps, but is it because of-

**Me: **No! _He _doesn't have anything to do with it. I don't like him anymore. What makes you think that?

**Artemis: -**grins- Well, the way you're reacting whenever I mention this, it might be a bit obvious you still retain small feelings towards him and you're trying to forget it, but its the fact that he still talks to you that gets you confused because it seemed he was getting very well along with you, and now he's using you...

**Me: **Which is why I left him in the past. And besides –folds her arms- if I told you who I like now, you'd be shocked, and Ali might kill me for saying it.

**Artemis: **-blushes- Why might Ali kill you? Please just admit that you're-

**Me: **-wags finger at him- don't make me kiss you again! Just go back with Ali! –walks off-

**Artemis: **-smiles softly- You know, I wouldn't mind... It is Valentine's day, and _Ali _wouldn't mind, AliAlmighty... –he walks off also-


	10. Chapter 10 Get the party started

**For those that are keeping up with the story, here is my latest chapter.**

**Note: I hope you haven't given up on me, but I think I will**** try and post at least each week, which has been happening so that part of my schedule is alright, but I've been so busy since the beginning of this month, along with a crazy rumor that's going around 7****th**** graders about my friend and me, but it doesn't matter, because it's not true. Anyways... Let's see...I've finally turned in my registration sheet to my school principal so she could sign it, so all I have to do is wait and get it back, but while I do that, I'm going to start where I left off, using my spare time to finish this story (I'm working on chapter fourteen now) so that should be sometime during class, since my school is a bit stir-crazy now- don't ask. So that's all for my lame excuses, and now I'm off to work. And remember this above all: THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer: Ahem... ARTEMIS FOWL AND ANY OTHER CHARACTER BELONG TO EOIN COLFER! RBD'S SONGS BELONG TO RBD! LEO THE BEAR BELONGS TO ME!**

**RATE AND REVIEW!**

**°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°**

**Chapter 10****: Get the party started**

Artemis kept walking, not noticing where he was actually heading, the conversation with Butler still ringing in his head...

So maybe, just _maybe_ there was a ray of hope, and he just let this take control of him, not noticing there was a turning and just as he walked, he almost ran into an excited, and happy Alison, her eyes blazing with happy tears. She seemed just as dazed and surprised like him, again, their faces extremely close once more, but this time, both of them were smiling at each other, but not just a normal smile, more of a small, shy grin. Holly speckled into view, looking at the young two people. Butler reached them, looking out of breath, gasping with each breath of air he took. Holly and Butler looked at each other, arched their eyebrows and winked at each other, motioning each other to leave them alone.

"We'll go now." Holly waved, smiling.

"Business to attend to." Butler continued, leading Holly and himself away. Artemis and Alison just kept looking at each other.

"So, are you alright?" Artemis asked after a minute of just staring at her.

"Because of earlier?" She smiled weakly. "Yeah, but it was nothing to worry about."

"Oh," Artemis chuckled. "That's good then."

"Yeah."

"Yes."

Again there was a deep silence between them, but not because they couldn't think of what to say, on the contrary, they both got lost into their eyes, as if trying to say something to each other.

"I saw you with Holly. Where you two hanging out?"

Ali nodded. "Kind of. We were just talking about stuff."

"Like?"

She blinked. "Oh, you know, stuff, like..." She scratched her head casually, blushing a deep red. "The dance tonight, boys...girl stuff. You wouldn't understand, things too complex for a boy to get, genius or not."

Artemis bit his lower lip. "Boys?"

She raised and eyebrow. "Hmm, yeah, just a bit, she was wondering if I liked someone, and I said yes, but it's not Greg like I said that other night to you, it's someone else."

"Who?" Artemis blurted out. Most unlike him.

"I, uh, can't tell you." She seemed to have gotten a bit nervous, her hands twisting between her fingers, getting lost in a sea of sparks, her feet shuffling with her. She looked away from the boy. "Not yet."

"Why?" Artemis asked again. It was most unlike him to ask millions of questions at once, usually as he was the one that responded to them, while the people in the other line questioned him. "Don't you trust me?"

"No! Artemis, it's not a matter of trust, I just can't. I have to be sure before I act."

Now Artemis seriously didn't know what she was talking about. He knew girls could be confusing, but not this confusing. He decided to say what he was going to say in the first place.

"Ali, about earlier..."

She turned around, her hair flowing. "What about earlier?"

"I- well, I just wanted to say sorry." Artemis looked at her.

"Sorry, for what? She looked confused.

"Forget it, but, I'm sorry."

The girl still looked confused, but a blazing look appeared on her face, which was now radiant and happy.

"No," She said, practically beaming. "I should be thanking you very badly. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have noticed what was going on! Things are clearer now..." She got close to him, and looking timidly but determined, she brushed her lips against his left cheek, giving him a small, soft, and sweet kiss.

"Thanks Artemis." She said, looking at her hands, which were practically showering the whole place, but shining even more with what seemed to be red sparks among the gold. "I'll see you later." Her magic calmed down a bit, but more of the red remained behind.

Artemis wanted to respond, but his vocal chords failed him, as he was too pleasantly surprised to what had just happened, his hand caressing the place where her lips touched him, looking at her. He didn't know if it was actually happening, or if his blue and brown eyes were playing tricks on him, but he couldn't help thinking that he was hearing Alison singing to _Tal vez Despues_ over again, as that was the song both of them had heard together. Surely it wasn't his imagination...

He kept thinking over this, not realizing where he actually was going, until he ran into someone else, but it wasn't a girl this time, it was Omar, Minerva's would-be boy 'friend'. He seemed to be looking for something.

"Hey," He said, naturally in Spanish, his dialect. "I take you're Artemis?" not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Have you seen Minerva?"

Artemis, too dazed, but now aware of this boy, spoke, but in English. "Minerva? No, not really. Not yet."

Omar looked confused, as he didn't understand a word Artemis said.

"What?"

"Wait, what?"

Omar sighed. "Minerva. Have you seen her?"

The Irish boy snapped out of it. "Sorry about that, I was rather distracted." He said in Spanish.

"I can tell... So have you seen her or not?" He asked uncertainly.

"No, I haven't seen her since half an hour ago. She must be with Gregory, still talking about their plans."

"Gregory? Oh wait, he's her cousin. Okay, can you tell her I'll see her later?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay, thanks." He left, looking back at Artemis, wondering if he was alright or not.

Artemis ignored his tone and kept walking, when he saw Minerva and Greg, smiling. Artemis fixed his facial features to their now warm composure, feeling relaxed. He couldn't risk having anyone look at his soft, emotional side, hidden deep inside him. It seemed Ali was the only one that got that side kicking.

"...So Papa said It'd be alright if you stayed with us for another two weeks in France, then you can go back to Missouri the next day."

Greg seemed to have thought about it. "Okay then, but I need to tell my parents about it."

"I don't think your parents would mind, I mean, it's summer and you should have some fun, don't you think?"

Greg agreed and both kept talking until they reached Artemis. For a moment, a shadow of a smile appeared on both their faces, which made Artemis assume that he still hadn't recovered. Great, he thought, my face can't look normal now...Blasted puberty!

"Are you alright, Artemis?" Minerva wondered, leaning for a closer look.

Artemis was about to answer, but Greg said a comment, but it wasn't a sarcasm comment.

"I doubt it, didn't you see Ali walking past us? She seemed happy... way too happy, skipping and singing on her way, her fingers shooting crazy sparks of every color."

"Oh," Minerva giggled and looked at Artemis. "I see."

Artemis just looked at them, a deep brow on his forehead. "Fine, I just talked to her, there's nothing wrong or suspicious about that."

"But it all depends on what you said," Minerva argued, still smiling. "I expect something that made her happy..."

Both cousins nodded. "Maybe if you asked her out," Greg continued. "that'd be something that make girls happy."

"Not all of them, though." Minerva added.

"Nothing of that sort," Artemis shook his head. "on the contrary, we just...had a simple and civilized conversation, that's all." Shaking Alison aside, he remembered something else. "Oh, and Minerva?"

"Yes?" She looked at the Irish boy.

"Your _friend _Omar was looking for you mere moments ago."

"Really?"

"Yes, but he said he'd see you later, maybe at the dance."

Minerva sighed, but in a thoughtful, 'I-have-a-crush' sort of sigh. "Omar is just...so sweet and a great friend,"

"I can tell," Both Greg and Artemis said at the same time, wondering if Minerva was more dazed than Artemis, or backwards.

"Minnie," Greg said loudly to Minerva, who seemed to be out of this world for a moment. "Minnie...Oh, you've got to be kidding, MINERVA!" He snapped his fingers into her face.

For a moment, Minerva didn't react, but she jumped as Greg yelled her name.

"Ouch! Don't yell that loudly! Don't need for you to pop my ear trumpet!" The French girl fixed her curled hair. "You should've just left me daydreaming, I was actually enjoying it no matter what the psychological after-effects are!"

"Well, you know what they say," Artemis smiled. "it's better to live in our dreams than see the nightmares of our own lives, even though it's better the other way around, of course, it's painful, but you'll know what you're dealing with that way."

Minerva digested this. "That's a really deep piece of advice, but I suppose you're right... but it's Omar!"

"Fine, go back to your wonderful dream," Greg adviced her, patting her gently on the back, but she shook her head.

"Not anymore, it's really late already!"

"Late?" Artemis wondered. "For what?"

"The dance!" Minerva squealed with delight. "I have to go and get ready! I'll see you two tonight." As she said this, she started to walk away, waving at her cousin and her friend. Artemis and Gregory looked at each other in amazement.

"Can you believe that?" Greg asked bewildered.

"Not as much as you can." Artemis responded, his looks also bewildered.

"Girls," The American teen whook his head with a grin on his face. "they have almost about two hours for their hair, makeup, dressing, and all that weird stuff, but for what?"

"Maybe to impress some people? Or someone in special?" Artemis guessed, casually putting his hands on his pockets.

"Okay, that's a fair theory," Greg said, walking along with Artemis. "but for one night? That seems pretty extreme to me."

"I know," Artemis admitted, bowing his head. "but they do end up looking quite nice in the end."

"That's true..."

Artemis and Gregory walked again in silence, and Artemis couldn't help thinking that finally, for the first time in his life, he was talking to a boy his age, and especially this teen, who happened to be quiet at first, but once you gained his trust, he opened up easily, and he did have a funny sense of humor, sarcastic, but funny. After a while, Greg spoke up.

"I've just thought of something," His green eyes looked into the blue ones. "Minerva's going to impress her little Omar, Juliet's going with Butler, just as chaperones, but what about Ali? Does she have anyone in mind at the moment?"

Artemis was taken aback by this question. "Ali? I don't know. I'm not exactly the type to ask such questions about her life." Oh, come on, he said in his mind, I just asked her about that moments ago. "Why do you ask?"

Greg shrugged. "I don't know, I was just wondering about that..."

The Irish boy frowned for a second and rounded on him.

"Do you like her?" Artemis shot at him. Greg's green eyes widened slightly, and then he grinned.

"No, she's just my friend..." He said simply and Artemis blushed. That thought was supposed to stay in his mind. Gregory added,"But she's going with you, isn't she?"

He blinked.

"Er- Yes, just a friendly invitation, though I would've been happy to go by myself, or not go at all, but if it weren't so crucial to the plan-"

"First of all, it's called a date, and if it weren't so _crucial, _you would've turned her down already. Is that what you're trying to say?"

Artemis was stunned by this comment. Of course, he wouldn't have, since his father always said to never turn down a young lady, and besides, he really wanted to take her on that 'date'. He never forgot about this, and he remembered the small prickle of guilt he felt when he first met and kidnapped Holly. It made his stomach squirm.

"I- no, but-" Artemis said a bit nervously. "What does this have to do with anything we're talking about?"

Greg smiled. "You're the one that likes her, aren't you?"

"Greg, stop changing the subject!"

"Do you?"

"Why so curious all of a sudden?"

"That's it, just curiosity." Greg said simply.

Artemis was instantly reminded when he asked Ali if she had been kissed by Greg, and that was her exact answer, and his exact response. He decided to lie. Again. Quite a habit it was becoming.

"No, I don't." He said, though the truth was about to burst out of him. "I like her as a friend, and that's the only way I see her, as a friend, nothing else."

"That would've been a great answer from the beginning," Greg said, patting Artemis on the back. He didn't seem to have believed him. "I'll see you later then."

"Have to go somewhere?"

"Uh, in a matter of speaking, not exactly..." Artemis looked to Greg's direction and they both saw Zeltzin passing by, and saw Greg.

"I'll be the one leaving then," Artemis gave him his trademark vampire smile. "and good luck, my friend." Leaving Greg with his friend behind his back.

**Opal Koboi's shuttle, Mexico City**

"At last," Opal giggled. "my revenge at its best splendor!"

Both Merv and Scant tightened their lips, but not from laughing, but from saying what they had in mind, which was, of course, difficult due to the fact that they couldn't back out now. She noticed their reactions.

"Well! Aren't you two happy about that?"

Both nodded furiously.

"Good, now bring me the black dress."

"The black dress?"

"The one I'm obviously going to wear tonight! The one you two fetched for me yesterday!"

"Yes ma'm!" Merv motioned his brother to go get it. "Go!" he whispered.

Scant rolled his eyes and left.

"Um, Miss Koboi," Merv asked quietly, being careful not to look directly at Opal. "When do we leave?"

Opal curled into her seat like a cat and checked her manicured nails. "Why do you think I'd tell you that?"

He too his chance. "Well, you know, to get things ready and not be in a hurry afterwards."

"Brilliant deduction, and coming from you, that's something." Opal smiled impishly, or more accurate, pixieish. "Maybe in about one and a half hour, so get your things ready, and don't forget _anything_ at all..." Then her eyes maddened. "Don't look at me!"

Merv decided to go and find his brother, wishing this nightmare would finish as soon as possible.

"So girls," Juliet looked at the two young teen girls. "Ready for the night of your lives?"

"Or at least," Holly piped in. "Who's ready for _this_?"

Both Minerva and Alison smiled and nodded. Juliet would be the one doing their hair, their makeup-pretty much everything. Juliet liked to call this moment 'the beauty class' since she would get a chance to share her beauty wisdom, and besides, she had won beauty contests when she was younger.

"For you Minerva," She looked at her. "I'd say pale pink eye shadow and pink lipgloss, along with some light mascara, a faint blush and pink eyeliner."

"Alright then."

"Ali, Ali..." Juliet smiled at her. "Those eyes are really stunning,but let's make them stand out a bit more; we'll need really light mascara, black eyeliner, some blush too and some gold eyeshadow...you're dress is red, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh."

"That fits perfectly, and the lipgloss will be a really light brown, it should match with your skin tone, and it'll make you look really pretty. Prettier than you already are!"

"Really, really pretty for a certain somebody," Holly grinned.

"Oh yeah, Artemis is going to be dazed with you." Juliet agreed, nodding. "He hasn't seen many girls in his life besides us, but you're something special, you have something that gets his attention, unfocuses him from his intelligence for a while, and get's him to smile."

She sighed and smiled. "Stop saying that, you'll only get my hopes up."

Between the four of them, the remaining two found out about the crush between Artemis and Alison. The girl in question didn't tell them about that, but Juliet brought up the subject about them and didn't stop badgering her about it until she confessed that all the small rumors going on between the nine people were true after all.

"Hate to say it to you, but you're hopes are way up." Holly guessed. "Artemis's too." She decided to help Juliet with doing the hair-do's, she doing Minerva's, Juliet working on Ali.

"Juliet!" Holly said, looking like she was in trouble. "I swear Minerva's hair is trying to kill me!"

"Ow!" Minerva groaned.

And indeed it seemed to. She was on her way of brushing it and then it seemed to have tangled among the brush Holly was holding.

"You don't have any experience with beauty do you?" Juliet said, untangling the blond hair. "And it sounds very ironic: A beautiful elf with no experience on beauty."

"Please let's switch."

"Right, then."

**An hour later, Artemis Fowl's room**

"Boys, get ready, we have to be down there in half an hour," Butler advised checking his expensive watch.

"But you don't," Artemis noticed. "I have to get into a vampire costume. Tell me how exciting that is."

"Or basketball player, though I'll admit, it's a bit better than yours."

Both Mulch and No1 were with Artemis and company, listening to their complaining.

"At least you're doing something," Mulch pointed out. "I have to stay here, waiting for the signal till I can go, and besides, what can I do? No1 is going with you guys and I'll be by myself."

"I think you can manage that, Mulch." Artemis smiled at the dwarf, looking at his vampire suit. "Thank God we got the modern costume instead of the other one."

"Just like Ali's going to be your modern 'princess'," Greg said sincerely, emphasizing the word 'princess' with his fingers. "and don't even try to cover that up, I already know about your crush on her, and just so you know, you can trust me. To be honest, you're obvious."

Artemis looked at him. "Well, I should say thanks for not mentioning it to her or anyone else."

"But seriously," No1 said, looking at his reflection closely in the mirror. "you really like her?"

"You know too?"

"Oh yep, we've known for ages." Mulch added, trying to find a light snack on his tangle of beard. "Nice topic of conversation during our bathroom meetings."

The Irish boy looked at the warlock and nodded. "You can't imagine how much."

"Well, I think this little miniature trip gave us something to learn about," Mulch inquired, nodding with every word he said. "Artemis found his first love, Greg and Minerva too, No1 about Mexico, Butler about how the only thing he can actually dress up as is a bodyguard, and..."

"What about you, Mulch?" No1 asked curiously.

Mulch looked solemn. "That I may have misjudged the use of soaps and that some of them actually smell alright. Maybe Mud Men aren't that stupid after all."

"Well, while all of you chat about the newfound wisdom, I'll go and dress into this thing." He walked towards the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Artemis emerged out of the bathroom five minutes later, but no different than the normal Artemis. In fact, he didn't look like he changed, the only difference was that he wasn't wearing his jacket or his tie, but just a white ¾ sleeved shirt that he'd buttoned up, but not buttoning the first too, his collar standing up underneath the worldwide famous black cape. This certainly made him look like a true vampire, this look actually going with his style and physical features. If you could've seen Artemis Fowl the Second like this, then you'd say this wasn't the normal stereotype of the known vampire, and if you were a girl, you'd say he looks cute.

"Well?" He asked uncertainly, looking at himself in the mirror, looking at the people behind him with the mirror. "What do you think?"

"You look perfect," Butler commented. "that will definetely bring out that smile of yours."

"This one?" Artemis gave him his best vamire smile, a shadow of a glint in his sapphire blue eyes.

"Oh yes."

"Way to go, Arty," Mulch agreed.

"Wow," No1 answered, looking awed. "You truly look like a vampire. But younger, obviously. You look good. Handsome, attractive."

"Yeah, you'll get her hypnotized the moment she sees you." Greg said, taking a hold of his costume and heading towards the bathroom next. "You know who I'm talking about." He winked.

"Seriously?" He looked at Butler in amazement.

Butler nodded deeply, and it made Artemis grin. He shook his head from that thought and saw Greg come out, looking like a normal teen before a basketball game.

"I actually feel comfortable," He commented.

Artemis nodded, and put his hands on his pockets, looking at No1.

"Indeed you're coming with us, No1," Artemis pointed out. "But you'll be wearing a long hood, and if anybody asks, you'll answer that you're dressed up as a gnome, elf, pixie or a dwarf."

Mulch overheard this, his expression frozen. "Excuse me?"

"Don't get offended, Mulch," Artemis said calmly, looking at the flatulent dwarf. "but you know the dwarf stereotype in our world, and besides, you know you have to stay here, so no one is going to see you."

Mulch still looked at Artemis. "Good cover-up story."

"How about just a warlock?"

"That works also."

"Anyway," Butler walked over to the dresser, and rummaged in there till he found a long black and red cape with a hood, which seemed to be the exact size for a warlock like No1.

"What do you think, No1?" Butler asked him. He studied it closer.

"I actually like it," He commented. "And besides, it's way better than that horribly bright orange muummuu."

"Great, glad you like it," Artemis smiled encouranganly at him. "Now, put that on."

No1 followed suit and in no less than one minute did he look like a small person with a demon-like, but still cute, warlock 'mask'.

"So, are we all ready?" Butler asked everyone, who nodded nervously. "That's good, it's almost six thirty."

Another nod.

"Let's go get the girls then."

Butler knocked on door 311 and waiteed for a response, but he didn't have to wait long because after five seconds he heard a 'Wait!' yelling shrilly, which made all of them assume it was Juliet.

"Just wait one more second!" This time it was Holly.

Artemis and Greg both sighed and waited, while Butler looked at No1 and around the corners. After two minutes, the door opened.

Artemis thought that some sort of magical light must have iluminated his eyes because instead of seeing Juliet come out first, he saw a green jade princess come out, followed by a what seemed to be a blond fairy princess form those of fairy books, and Artemis's eyes widened as he saw the last human girl come out in her red pop princess dress, torn above the knee. He was literally stunned. Never had he seen anyone so beautiful. Holly took the rear, a camouflage foil wrapped around her arms, deciding to not use it now and shield for just a few minutes when she was down at the party since she had restored her magic, but it was limited. Ali walked towards Artemis, looking at him as if she had never seen anything so pleasantly surpring like him before.

"Hey." She said, her eyes hypnotizing him once more, and because of that makeup, it seemed to bring out even more that talent, and her pretty features. Artemis just gazed at her, not ready for words. "Well, shall we go?"

Artemis nodded. Still not ready. Butler lead the way towards the elevator, with Juliet at his side, followed by Greg and Minerva, who seemed just as nervous as Artemis was, wondering how Zeltzin and Omar would react then they saw them. Holly trailed behind Artemis and Alison, shielded this time. Artemis spoke at last.

"You look-" His vocal chords failed him. Ali just smiled. "You look really nice." _No...You look gorgeous, _he thought. _Beautiful._

"Thanks," she said in a small voice. "you look great too, I knew a vampire costume would suit you."

Artemis decided to change the subject, trying hard not to blush or to look at her again. "Are you wearing the iris cam?" He dared to peer into her dark brown eyes, and he felt like smacking his head for it.

"Yeah, don't worry," She reassured him. "I didn't forget anything you told last night. Nothing."

"Great." Artemis said as he stepped into the elevator, and was squashed once more by Butler. He shifted a bit. "That's better, I though I was going to suffocate."

"Good thing I'm not the only one," She whispered, moving a bit to her right. "This outfit is cute, but it's getting annoying when trying to move around here."

"I'm with you," Artemis agreed, shifting once more. "I feel comfortable, but the cape is sagging down to my feet, and I feel that I'll trip pretty soon."

"You two can stop complaining now," Butler told them. "you'll be able to breath now."

The elevator shaft opened and Artemis, expecting to see the hotel lobby empty, was dissapointed as it was full of people all dressed up in anything you could imagine, waiting outside the fancy restaurant, where the event would take place. Gregory and Minerva stretched their necks here and there, expecting their dates to appear, and they did after a minute, Zeltzin arriving first towards Greg, dressed as a femenine soldier of The Black Parade ("My Chemical Romance." Ali told Artemis, who looked confused; He had never heard of that group.). Greg didn't wait a minute before he told everyone he'd see them later before the 'big event' and ran off with her. Minerva had to wait a bit longer until she saw Omar arrive, a huge grin on his face. Minerva walked off, and waved back, tapping her wrist as she did so. _About eight o'clock _she mouthed, and Artemis nodded. Around that time Opal would be arriving.

"Let's go in and have a look," Juliet said, looking excited, but afterwards, she moved away from the group, looking around in other places..

The five of them entered the restaurant once more, Butler holding No1's small four-fingered hand, and the place was different than the last time they had been in there. There were red, black and white ballons hanging around the ceiling with lightbulbs of all the colors of the rainbow hanging at some corners, and made the place look magical, since it was all dark and had a romantic yet fun mood. The tables were all placed in the middle of the room, covered in a white sheet with glitter as an adornment to the table. Artemis, Alison, Butler and No1 sat on a table close to the small stage, were several clerks were working and swearing in Spanish as they confused certain cables with others. Artemis saw this and shook his head.

"How difficult could that be?" He said in a low voice, looking at a certain paunchy man scratching his head and swearing afterwards. "Wiring isn't that difficult to understand."

"I don't know, the colors, or the way they get tangled," Ali answered, sitting next to Artemis. "but on the bright side, this place looks great, doesn't it?"

"I have to admit, I usually don't approve of any kind of celebration, due to the fact that I'm not the so called 'party type' but it does seem great." He paused for a second, since he heard something. "What is that?"

Alison heard the sound too. "Music. You said that they'd start with the introduction of RBD's music, so, that must be it."

Artemis listened harder. "Which song is it?"

"_Tu Amor,_" Ali replied, her lips moving to the words. "That song kinda states what love is. _Amor._" Artemis nodded again.

"Do you want to take a walk around?" Artemis asked, not noticing this question come out of his lips.

"Sure, that'd be great."

Artemis looked at Butler for his permission, and Butler nodded, smiling at the same time, while No1 winked and put the thumbs up. Holly was nowhere to be seen, or more appropiately, heard.

"_Tu amor..."_ Ali sang, bobbing her head to the rhythym, her red dress swaying behind her. The young Irish boy looked at her.

"With you and No1 singing this song all the time, among others, I think I've finally learned the lyrics,"

"Oh really?" Ali asked, her arms on her hips. "Let's make this a contest:_Tu amor, I will always be tu amor, means the world to me, estaras siempre en mi corazon, you're the one in my soul and I live for tu amor..."_

Artemis decided not to sing, but just say the words. "_My amor, love you more with each look in your eyes, maybe these simple words will do best to best describe what I feel in my heart, what I feel for all times..."_

Ali joined him, and both sang for real this time. "_How to make you see, how to let you, how to say, how to say, how I need you so, with words you understand, words that get right through to your soul, words that let you know..."_

When they said the last part, both of them glanced at each other and looked away from each other, blushing deeply.

"Maybe we shouldn't do a contest," Artemis said lowly, looking down at his feet, almost running into a stressed waiter who yelled at him, but Artemis was too busy to have given him a witty comeback, Butler being his comeback.

"Good point. All we need is for people to think we're crazy."

"Well, just you." Artemis looked playfully at her. Her mouth was mockingly hanging open. Artemis gave her a vampire smile, and her eyes dazed off for a moment.

"Wow... I mean, you must really like to make people suffer." She said sarcastically, laughing afterwards, leading him into the outside of the restaurant, where an outer space appeared, also with tables. She walked towards the balcony and looked into the sunset, reflecting over the deep blue sea. She sighed and leaned on the balcony. "Changing the subject rather drastically: Have you ever seen such a beautiful sunset?"

Artemis leaned on the balcony also. "No. In fact, I have never seen one in my life."

Her voice softened, resting her chin on the palms of her hands. "Oh really? So, tell me, how much have you missed in your life?"

Artemis answered sincerely, not looking at her for once, but at the sunset. He was feeling a bit guilty now. "So many things...Sometimes I even regret saying no to all those wasted moments."

"Well, enjoy this beautiful sight, you might not see it again, not after what's going to happen tonight," She replied sadly. "I'm not missing this for anything in the world, so...just enjoy. It's so beautiful."

Artemis looked at her, but she was unaware of it. "More than beautiful."

Alison heard this and turned to face him, and when she spotted him looking at her, she looked back to the sun, smiling a shy smile, a gold spark flying between the fingers, increasing each second, followed by a solitary red spark. Artemis also looked into the sun, and then he spotted a small garden of flowers in front of him, which included the worldwide famous red roses, and some other small ones. Artemis plucked a red rose from among the small flowers. He felt a small prick on his forefinger as he noticed that the rose's picks gave him a small cut, and a small red dot appeared. He didn't give this much attention, since his inner magic healed it instantly, putting most of his attention to the person next to him.

"A flower for another flower." Artemis said, offering Alison the red rose. "It's for you. Take it."

She looked at it and took it without hesitation. She caressed it softly.

"I-well, thanks... that was really sweet of you," Her voice trailed of slowly, the flower still clasped in her hand, and holding it firmly. She looked away, her cheeks blushing a deep crimson pink, her lips forming a smile. Artemis sighed and smiled too.

A minute had passed, and Artemis didn't know what made him do it, but he casually moved his hand next hers and in another second was it entangled into hers. She noticed this, and she held it tightly, looking at the rose and back to the sun.

"Estarás siempre en mi corazón... You will always be in my heart (A translation also)." Artemis whispered, holding her hand a bit tighter now.

Both of them just looked into the sun that went down with each passing minute until the first stars appeared in the already blue-sprinkled night...

**°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°**

Uh-huh, I still got Valentine's day fever, or perhaps it's the after-effects of all the chocolates and bonboms I got from my friends, including a poster-size drawing of Artemis Fowl! How cool is that? °w°! I was pretty darn excited.

Anyway, this is what I got so far on the story, and like I mentioned on my Note, I'm still working on it, so please don't give up on me! Be patient, I'm only a beginner and I really do want to see more reviews- do you know what kind of feeling you get when you see brand-new emails saying that at least a person reviewed your story? And even better, loved it? That's all I ask for: **Patience and reviews**. Here, I'll do something even better to get your attention:

_**DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY! DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW!**_

_**DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW! DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY!**_

_**DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY! DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW!**_

_**DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW! DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY!**_

_**DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY! DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW!**_

**It's not that hard to give a review****, is it? And this is too hard to ignore. **

**THANK YOU**

**MUCHAS GRACIAS**


	11. Chapter 11:'Dance, dance dance'

**Hello once more! **

**Well, I've noticed a slight drop –slight?- of readers since chapter 7, and I really do wonder why, but I hope you haven't given up on me! The high school stress has finally come off for a while now, and now I have free times! But really, I don't want you to give up on this story! It made me so happy to know people were reading my fanfic, but no ****reviews ****made me feel bad... Please enjoy this, and if you want, tell me that I suck at this story, at least someone paid attention and read it. PLEASE!**

**THANK YOU IF YOU ARE STILL WITH ME AND READING THIS STORY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU FOR BEING A FAITHFUL READER!**

**Disclaimer: Ahem, ARTEMIS FOWL AND OTHER CHAREACTERS BELONG TO EOIN COLFER! RBD'S SONGS BELONG TO RBD! NOT ME!**

**°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°**

**Chapter 11: Dance, dance, dance**

"What do you think they're talking about?" No1 wondered, looking at Butler as if he had the answer. Butler thought for a moment.

"Beats me, but I suppose they getting things cleared out, don't you think?"

"I suppose they could, but tell me," He looked happy. "They do look happy and innocent together don't they?"

"At their age, innocence is portrayed by crazy hormones and innocent crushes," Butler commented, watching Artemis and Alison walking and talking at the same time, Alison laughing at something Artemis said.

"Yeah, but Artemis is something special."

"That is true," Butler glanced at No1. "Do you have any idea where Holly is? She hasn't said a word since we got here, that must point out that she's not here."

"Um, no, I haven't got the faintest idea..." No1 looked thoughful. "Nice, _faintest, _you humans have a great vocabulary, no doubt about that."

Butler gave a small chuckle when he felt a something brush him by the shoulder. For a moment his soldier sense activated wildly, one of his hands reaching out for his pocket in a blink of an eye, right where his Sig Sauer was hidden. Before he could take it out, a voice whispered in his ear.

"Whoa there big guy," The whisper in Holly's voice said. "It's me."

Butler sighed. "In the future, don't jump at me like that. I might accidently cause an uprise."

"It's a habit!" She whispered, settling into Butler's other side.

"Anyways, where were you?"

"I had to go and check up on Mulch," Holly answered. "Leaving him in a bathroom alone with no one to look up for him doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable, even if he's going the right way and if you can trust him."

"Was he doing anything in particular?" No1 asked, trying to find Holly without any success.

"He's bored. He says you're the only one that understands him, besides the 'colorful, smelly soaps' his exact words."

"Oh," No1 smiled. "That's very true."

"So, I see they're doing pretty well. Fowl and Gallegos."

"You already saw them?"

"They're not exactly hiding, are they?" Holly retorted. "I don't think Artemis needs to know about his little doubt any more."

"The whole 'does-Ali-like-me-also' thing?" Butler asked casually, being careful not to look in her direction. "Yes, No1 asked the same question too, but differently. And I do wonder what they're talking about."

"You're not thinking of eavesdropping on them, are you?" Holly asked softly.

"No, of course not," Butler said, scratching his bald head. "But you might as well take a closer look. Just in case."

Holly was against it. "What! No! I don't like the idea of invading Artemis's privacy, and besides, we must really leave them alone."

Butler sighed. "I don't want to get into his life, but if we leave them there together they might as well stay there all night and forget about Opal."

"In other words, I'm supposed to act as an alarm?"

"No offense, but somehow, that sounds about right."

Holly didn't say a thing for a while or two, and at last she answered. "Alright then, I'll do it, but let's leave them there for another short while, just look at them, as some of the Mud Man say: They're sweet on each other."

Butler and No1 both nodded and looked outside once more. Artemis had just given Alison what seemed to be a red rose. Afterwards, they looked into the now setting sun, Artemis holding her hand and not letting go.

**On their way to chute**** Castillo de Chapultepec E17; Mexico City**

Opal Koboi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in spite of herself. Certainly she looked beautiful in the black dress, but if you didn't know her, then you wouldn't be able to see through that sweet smile and enchanting eyes. There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," She said, too flabbergasted with herself. She looked at the reflection and saw the twins. "Oh, it's you two. What do you want now?"

"Uh, well-" Merv began.

"We came in to-"

"Tell you-"

"That-"

"Chute E17 is ready and all fired up. The magma flares will arrive in about half an hour, just in time to get there at eight o' clock." They both finished together, goggling at her.

"You two are getting so annoying with finishing each other's lines!" Opal hissed. "Can't you do something more useful?"

"But it's all ready!" They said together as if that solved the problem.

Opal shook herself and then nodded in a satisfacory way, moving her black hair from her face. "Good." she turned to them. "Is it now the time to get into the Chapultepec Castle?"

Scant spoke. "Yes."

The evil pixie gave them a sinister smile. "Well, then, how do I look?"

Mervall and Descant looked at each other and the same thought ran through their heads. _You look like an evil witch!_ the mental message said, but decided it wasn't time yet to let it all out. Or even think about that. They still had wonders if she could actually read their minds.

"You look amazing, miss," Merv started.

"Oh yes, truly amazing." Scant added.

"Oh, shush!" She giggled afterwards. Both twin pixies left simultaneously, glad that this nightmare was almost over. Hopefully it was over by now.

**Templo del Zafiro, Cancún, Mexico**

Maybe Holly was used to wearing a cam foil all the time, but she was growing tired of it and wished she could just take it off and fly around the sea, smelling its salty sweetness, but young Artemis _insisted_ that she remain on the spot, waiting for the time of action, next to Butler and No1, who were just as bored as her, well, just No1, since Butler looked stoic as usual. Holly decided to do what Butler had asked a few moments earlier, but not because of Artemis's sake, but for her own bored sake. He tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Butler," she whispered in his ear. Butler pretended to not hear, and casually stretched back a bit, to hear Holly better. "Can I go outside? I'm really bored."

Butler nodded between a crane of his neck, and whispered a hurried order into her ear. "And if you can, get Artemis and Alison to get back in here. They'd been out there for half an hour already."

"Sure thing, buddy," Holly added, turning on her wings and flying outside, glad to finally be able to stretch. She flew towards the balcony and still found Ali and Arty together, but this time, looking at the stars, and talking now, still holding hands, and could it be that they were- a bit closer? Holly leaned a bit to hear what the two were talking about, being careful for Artemis not to spot her, which was a talent of his, even if the suit vibrated with her.

"...don't explain to me what a star's makeup is, just look at them." Ali groaned, but smiled at the same time.

"I can't help it, it just comes out naturally," Artemis shrugged.

"Yeah, right, you're just confusing me, I'm trying to find Gemini at the moment."

"Funny, I found it mere moments ago," He chuckled, pointing towards the heavens with his free hand, Alison following his finger. "I beat you." His face was inches away from hers when he said that.

It was Ali's turn to chuckle into his face. "Whatever."

"Want another race?" Artemis asked.

"Nope."

"What, afraid that you might lose?" Artemis's eyebrows went up, daring her, a certain fiery look in his cool eyes, taunting the brown ones.

"No." Alison laughed.

"Are you afraid?"

She looked at him, giving him a malicious smile. "Now you're challenging me?"

"I might." Artemis grinned. "Let's see who finds Andromeda first."

She changed her grin. Artemis could only look at her and he felt he was instantly disarmed. One of Alison's talents. "You're on, genie."

Both of their stares went up and in no less than two minutes later did both of them yell at the same time "Found it!" their fingers pointing towards the same place.

"A tie it is then," Artemis concluded. "But I might as well give you the first place."

"Why?" She asked surprised, holding the red rose firmly.

"Isn't it obvious? Ladies first." He said, and both grinned at each other, not aware of the 'joke'.

Holly had to smile. Artemis had changed drastically since the kidnap, from the young cold and calculating boy to the warm and sensitive teenager, not to mention, he was in love now, or more appropiately, he was crushing on Alison. Holly flew a bit towards Artemis, wondering when was the last time she had seen him so happy. He looked around, detecting her presence, and looked straight where Holly was, his eyes expressing radiance. Alison also looked around, but more of surprisement than anything else, since she didn't expect this moment to end like that, but seemed to have ignored that thought since she also felt Holly's presence.

"Holly?" Both Artemis and Ali whispered, not meeting her eyes and ignoring the other people that were coming out to the decorated tables, some of them looking exaggerated in their costumes and others singing horribly, and some doing both. Holly got closer to them.

"Sorry to break this moment like this," Holly said clearly but lowly.

"It's okay," Ali and Artemis said together, not moving their lips as much, but looking dissapointed for a second, both of them, letting go of each other's hands.

"Still, sorry for intruding, but you two have to get inside now. Butler's orders. The show is about to start, and you don't want to miss it," she stopped for a moment, and realized she was talking to Ali now.

"Maybe, but I rather be here outside and enjoy his company, at least he's a laugh," She looked at the Irish boy, who gave a small grin and nodded. "and he's competition."

"Me too."

Holly sighed. "Time enough for a talk later, but get in there before Butler kills me for not obeying."

"It wouldn't be the first time, you can bet on that," Artemis answered, and as a response, Holly punched him on the shoulder.

"Oh, shut up!" She hissed in his ear and the three of them went inside now, where the cable man finally looked proud, all the cables in their right places, and what seemed to be micriphones in the small stage, some people already on it, testing their instruments and flexing their fingers. Artemis and Alison took their seat once they reached Butler and looked around, the place more crowded than when they had gotten there in the first place. Juliet arrived a moment later, looking tired but full of energy. She gave them a dazzling smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Butler asked, looking at his younger sister.

She took a deep breath. "You wouldn't believe who I saw!"

"Do us a favor and tell," Artemis said. "You won't believe how suspenful I'm feeling."

"Oh, excuse me for not laughing," Juliet said, rolling her eyes. "I met someone who's also into wrestling and she's on the club with me! I never really noticed her, since she's just in a beginner group, but we spent the whole time talking!"

"Who is she?" Butler questioned, looking stern for a second.

"Oh, it's that girl dressed as a sumo wrestler," Juliet pointed to her right and there she was, the sumo wrestler girl. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Pretty hilarious you mean," Ali stifled a laugh. "but I do appreciate the originality."

"So," Juliet settled into her seat. "Where is Minerva?"

No1 answered that one. "She was with Omar. Why?"

"Oh," She blinked. "actually, Omar's with some other girl, really close if you get what I mean. I haven't seen her."

Everyone paled, and Artemis's pale features looked whiter than usual, making them stand out.

"Oh, no, Minerva. That's not good." Artemis said.

"No, it's not!" Ali said, standing up. "I got to find her, she must be upset, and if I find _him_ along the way, let's just say that my palm is going to make contact with his face and my foot with his-"

"A lovely mental image you're giving us, Ali," commented Artemis, holding her wrist to stop her for a second. "But please do calm down."

She breathed deeply. "Sorry, it's just that I hate seeing people like that, getting their hopes up and and once they're flying, their wings are broken just like that. Minerva really grew fond of him, and I just can't see her destroyed like that. I've had enough experience in a lifetime with that to see her getting the same way I did."

After this confession, they saw a pale pink dress swirl by, and a battered-looking, yet sad and proud Minerva Paradizo sat down, her head buried between her hands, shanking gently. Juliet moved to her, placing a warm hand on her, while Holly sneaked a tissue to her, careful with not being seen.

"Minnie, don't cry over him," Juliet crooned, moving her jade-braided hair aside. "he wasn't worth it."

"Your tears aren't worth being spilt over him." Alison said darkly, her hands forming a fist now, pulling from Artemis's grip, who tried to not let go. "Where is he? Darn it, Artemis, let go of me!"

"Drinks," she said lowly, her voice a bit high and she pointed towards him, where he was standing casually, with some other girl that was flirting with him, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention. Ali pulled herself away from Artemis, who felt annoyed with that Mexican boy for some reason, and Ali went towards them, her head up high, white sparks erupting from her fingertips: it was anger what she was feeling right now.

Artemis and his party looked with confusion of what she was about to do. Artemis couldn't help noticing that this was one of the things that got Alison fired up, literally, just looking at her hands, which he could swear was covered by white fire. Artemis couldn't explain that to himself, but that was one of the qualities he really liked about her, and made him think about her all the time. She walked up towards Omar and poked him on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled brightly at her, while the other girl they heard was named Brenda, looked incredously at him and then at Alison, and stalked off, sending both of them very far away in a curse, but Omar didn't notice. Neither did Ali, who yelled at her to shut up and dress properly and not like a prostitute. He tried to talk to Ali, who grinned sarcastically and punched him on the face with all her strength, which seemed to be a lot for the average girl her age because he staggered backwards and fell on his backside, looking surprised and annoyed at the same time. Then she began to talk loudly at him in Spanish, and several who understood the dialect turned to watch.

"_En que estabas pensando al meterte con ella? _What were you thinking in messing her up? (Of course, its a translation)_" _Alison yelled, crouching down with him, but this time, her voice seemed to be too angelic, with bass tones. She was _mesmerising_ him. Omar was about to retort, but then she looked at her straight in the eye and was hypnotized, his shoulders relaxing.

"I really like her..." he answered in his drowsy state. "I don't know..."

"_Entonces?"_

"I'm really confused about this..."

"What about? Don't tell me that you go out with every other girl you meet because they're hot?" She hoisted him by the sleeve of his neck. "Is that why you went after Minerva? Because she's smart and _hot_?"

"I- No, I like her, but Brenda's..." His voice trailed off.

"Oh please! Her legs look like twigs! Minerva is ten times better! But I suppose you prefer to make out with them with every chance you get!"

"What- No! I really do, but, I- what am I saying?"

"Oh, so now you're double-dating? Is that how you will end the confusion?" Alison asked, but this time, her voice regained her usual tones. "Great idea!" She stood up. "Now, get away from my sight unless you want me to punch you again!" He scattered off as quickly as he could, still looking confused and glaring at her, an incredulous look on his face.

She wavered towards them, holding her temples and looked a bit pale. She sat down on her spot and took a long drink of water.

"Headache," she groaned, and she straightly closed her eyes, relaxing, and gold sparks shined from the outline of her eyes. This process took about three minutes, and by that time, she opened her eyes and her cheeks regained their color. "That feels better. I thought my head was about to explode."

"Good thing you know how to use it now," Holly whispered to her. "It's been about four days, and already controling it. I'm impressed."

"I've been practicing with the healing ever since you guys told me about my magic. Mostly it's been hitting myself with Artemis's heavy books. Especially the _Laws of Freud and Jung. _Extremely painful, that one."

"And when you say practicing, you're including the _mesmer_ also Wait, you've been taking my books? It's a wonder I didn't find any of them yesterday." Artemis claimed, looking at her. She shook her head in disbelief, frowning slightly.

"No, in fact, that was the first time I do that." She blinked. "I just wanted him to tell the truth, and- something turned on inside me like a switch and the next second my voice sounds all funny."

"Interesting."

Ali cleared her throat. "Um, but on the bright side, we might as well say, he likes you, Minerva, but..." She turned to look at her, whose eyes were still shining red behind her glasses. She cleared her throat. "Because of you physical attributes. Stupid idiot."

She gave her a watery smile.

"At least I know now," She added, her voice bitter. "but I am not going to see him again."

"That's the spirit." The girls said. The boys just let the melodrama unfold in front of them, deciding not to comment on something that was more a girls' territory than a males'.

"Great, it's a quarter past seven," Butler commented, giving his watch a look over, his soldier sense now beginning to tick. He could smell danger and thrill now. From behind him, he heard someone cock its gun. It seemed Holly sensed this too.

"A few more songs, and it all starts," Juliet said cheerfully, beckoning Minerva to smile, which she did but it dissapeared like the wind as she heard the first verse of the song, _Besame sin Miedo_, one of Artemis's favorite songs, but then she shook herself and smiled at Artemis, who smiled back, and turned to look at Alison once more, then took a glance at the whole place, which was filled with dancing couples following the song rythm . Artemis wasn't in the mood for dancing since, firstly, he wasn't good at it, and secondly, he just didn't like it, that was obvious, but something inside of him impulsed him to ask her and dance. He looked at Butler. His glance at him crealy told him to obey the surprising thought that had arrived at the young Irish genius. It seemed that the Eurasian bodyguard knew what was going on inside Artemis's mind. Butler gave him a small nod, and Artemis, looking thoroughly nervous, once again for the first time because of something like this, as in females, turned to the pretty Mexican girl next to him, who was looking at the beautiful red flower yet again.

"Wanna dance?" Artemis asked, the request coming out again before he had time to consider it once more, and 'wanna' wasn't even a word!

"What?" She asked, looking as if she heard wrongly.

"I was wondering if you wanna dance with me?" Artemis asked again, this time, a bit more clearly, ignoring the word 'wanna'.

Her lips tucked into a smile and nodded.

Both got up and walked towards the center, and looked at each other for a second, not sure of what to do next. Artemis got close to her, and wrapped his hands around her waist while she put her arms around his shoulders, and slowly they started to dance.

_And you know I'lll never let you go, 'cause I wanna be with you..._

_So come on and kiss me, please don't be afraid, give me a kiss that makes me touch the stars, so come and kiss me, for no reason at all, give me a kiss that makes me reach the sun, so come on and kiss me, because it might be the last one..._ (A/N: A direct translation from _Besame sin miedo_. It's a habit to always be translating songs.)

This certain chorus seemed to have gotten inside Artemis's heart because he couldn't help but hug her really close, feeling her figure between his hands, making the nonexistant physical spaces dissapear.

"I really like this song," He whispered into her ear and realizing what he had done, he withdrew a bit, even if he didn't want to.

"I love it." She replied, once the pre-chorus started over again. She seemed to have gotten nervous, so she changed the subject. "One of my favorites, too."

"I'm not the romantic kind, but I do appreciate the romanticism."

She sighed.

"What is it?" He asked, but she didn't answer. The chorus had started again. "Are you the romantic kind?"

"Perhaps. Do you have a problem with my sentimentalicism?"

"No. Each person has their own personality."

"Exactly. It wouldn't hurt you to be romantic for once, would it?"

Artemis just grinned, and shook his head, feeling relaxed. Now he understood why people said that dancing was a way of expressing your feelings. It certainly gave him a light feeling, like anything could happen, a certain happiness he couldn't explain, he simply felt it, swelling inside him like a balloon.

"I thought you said you didn't dance," Ali said, as Artemis twirled her, her hair almost whipping his pale face.

Artemis blushed and almost let her go and spin.

"Neither did I," he added, holding her back. He didn't want to let go again. "Like I said, I've been doing things that I normally wouldn't be doing, especially this."

"Me too, I'm not into dancing, but I've been taught not too refuse this kind of offering, but I still refuse."

"At least we know something,"

"What?" she looked confused.

"I wasn't born for this," Artemis said into her ear, his voice barely a whisper. "I'd rather solve algebraic problems all day without stopping than dancing. At least it exercises my brain instead of my feet. I don't want to do the Irish jig or a Tango."

Alison thought. "You can start with my homework if you want,"

"How difficult is it?"

"Moderate."

Artemis shook his head. "Anything more challenging?"

"No. Don't blame me for doing 9th grade level math, I can't help being a Freshman for the next school year, though it's fairly simple." She gave him a lopsided smile. "How about college algebra? Just wait until I'm a high school senior. How about that?"

"Great offer, I might even consider thinking into accepting."

"So, before you answer my _tempting _math offer, answer me this question: If you're not into dancing, then why did you ask me?"

Artemis knew she was going this question sooner or later, so he decided to answer with an indirect truth.

"I thought it'd be a good idea to try out something I had never done before, and who'de be a good dance partner than Alison Gallegos?"

"Ooh, thanks for the compliment."

"And: Yes."

"Yes what?"

"I'll take that offer."

"The homework issue? You do know I was just kidding?" Alison said to Artemis. "I can do my own work."

He nodded. "Of course, though you know very well that I have no experience with humor."

"I'll be honest with you: you're not the best with jokes, but it's a good sign that you make others laugh, even is it's just a bit."

"Right," Artemis murmured, and then he grinned a small smile, his eyes twinkling, but not an icy tingle. Then Artemis saw Alison's pink lips move.

"_Besame sin miedo, como si fuera el ultimo... __(So come on and kiss me, as if it were the last one…)"_

Artemis could only stare at her and smile. He wasn't sure if she was actually singing it or wanted to be kissed, but decided that she was probably singing it, as he knew that from Alison's nature, she wasn't the one to ask directly what she wanted, let alone, ask him to give her her first kiss.

Both sighed deeply and danced to the last bit of the song, which was literally over now, and yet still, they held on, looking at their feet and once they heard the beginning of the next song, which was a bit more dancable, did they break apart.

The next ten minutes passed in a blur of sound and squeals of delight, most of them from girls who were too excited now that their idols, RBD, were about to sing live just seconds away.

Though Artemis wouldn't admit it, he was a bit anxious and excited, partly because of this group, even if he wasn't the kind that listened to this type of music, in fact, rarely listened to it at all, with the exception of David Bowie and his favorite song 'It's no game, Part 2.' And of course, the other because they were an hour away from Opal's appearance with those moronic Brill twins.

Suddenly the whole room darkened, the only source of ligt coming from the moonlight and its refelction over the sea, and even though Artemis's eyes weren't nightvision, he sensed that special effects gas was spreading around him, and then the stage lights, which happend to be on the floor, but looking up, turned on and circled around till it found its mark: RBD, right in front of them, well, about fifteen bodyguards, them the rebels.

The Fowl heir looked at those people in front of him and found their appearance to be a bit strange, specially because of Christian Chavez's hair, which was blue yesterday, and now blond. He looked closer and noticed that the females' skirts were all torn and patched, including their colorful longstockings but only their boots seemed to be alright, and their hair, one of them straight, the other two curled. As for the males, the same as the girls: torn and patchy clothes, and you had to admit, they had style. A voice from out of nowhere spoke.

"Introducing Anahi, Dulce, Maite, Alfonso-"

At the sound of the name 'Alfonso' all the girls in the room went crazy with their squeals of delight that some of them actually fainted, including Juliet, who nearly did, and she was taught to resist those kinds of things.

"...Christian, and Christopher!" the announcer continued as if nothing happened. "Together, RBD!"

Again, everyone yelled, and Artemis thought his eardrums might pop sooner or later if this didn't stop. He looked around; everybody was standing up, jumping up and down, all except for Butler and himself, but then he was dissapointed as Butler decided to stand on his feet and clapped loudly. Artemis closed his eyes and also stood up and clapped, thinking that this was a good idea because he didn't feel like looking like the only idiot in the audience sitting down and not looking happy, even if he was in a good mood.

Everyone sat down and listened to the first acoustic song, _Celestial, _and as they began, Artemis turned to Ali to ask her a question he had in mind the moment he saw them.

"Ali, may I ask you why are they dressed so...torned and patched up?" He whispered to her, looking at RBD, who were smiling at their audience and greeting them in Spanish. Then, out of the unexpected, the six people turned to look at the young Fowl and greeted him with a smile. Artemis was surprised and he just returned the grin, hoping his face wasn't acting up what he was thinking.

"Oh, it might be because they're starting the _Tour Celestial 2007_, and that's the design of their album, saying that between many difficulties in your life, there's always a silver lining." She said, waving at the rebels, who waved back. "_Que chido!"_

"That's an interesting philosophy for such musical album, specially since the songs from that album are...well, can we say they talk about how that certain person doesn't notice you and there you are, trying to express what you feel for him or her, until that certain love grows and unites both of you."

Alison's eyes were wide. "Wow, I never really thought of that when you say it like that, but..."

"But?"

"How do you know if you only heard about five songs_?"_

Artemis chuckled. "Apparently you're not the only one that's been taking things to practice on."

"Hold on, you took my CDs and listened to them? And I was wondering where they were!"

"_Si, mi dulce niña,_ didn't you ever wonder how I got RBD's songs into my iPod?_" _Artemis responded, a sarcastic yet playful grin playing on his lips.

Alison realized what he had called her: _mi dulce niña, _my sweet girl. Her fingertips exploded in a whirlwind of all the colors of the rainbow. Happy but nervous at once, along with the curiosity of why he had said that. She closed her eyes and a pink tinge appeared on her cheeks and continued the conversation.

She murmured something, and then she asked innocently. "To practice on what?"

Artemis shrugged to make her curiosity grow a bit more. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Boys like you-" suddenly, the acoustic guitar started to play and Anahi, one of the members, began to sing. It quieted Alison instantly. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Artemis, shut up, 'cause I'm not going to listen to you now!"

But Artemis didn't really listen. "I see that's how you're going to express your excitement, by shutting me up."

"No, that's just going to express how nervous I am," She said, her fingers spitting out blue sparks for the first time. "Among other stuff." She added hastily.

He couldn't help but agree with her. She was right. Artemis was also nervous, he had admitted that to himself at last, and he was letting it out his own way by tapping his fingers on the table and toying around with the ice cubes from his cup of now shaking water. All we have to do is wait now, his mind said. But, he said to himself again, pretending to be interested in the music when he was in fact contemplating his plan once more, if anything goes wrong, then I'm the one to blame, and if anything happens to my Ali, I'll never forgive myself...

**Chute Xochimilco E17, from Mexico City to Cancún**

Of course, fairies didn't believe in comfort, something that was taught to them since the day they were born, but the only fairy that did believe in comfort and luxury was feisty and explosive Miss Opal Koboi. For her trip, she had taken an ambassador's pod, almost the same thing as an ambassador's shuttle, in fact the only one she found as she escaped from Howler's Peak.

It was already ten before eight, and she was already settled in, strapped to her seat, since the moment the pod moved, it caused a certain disturbance, as in rattling objects that cause certain people headaches. She was ready for it, the magma flare, obviously, but she just wanted to get up and walk, well, strut in this beautiful black dress and boss the twins around, a thing she was starting to do more and more often whenever she felt like showing off about her new strategy on how to destroy the Irish genius, Artemis and the Section 8 captain, Holly, and maybe the others who annoyed her, even if she didn't know them, especially that little Mud Girl, whom she had recently been informed of the name, Alison. Opal didn't know what it was, but there was something in that girl that made her hate her as much as she hated Artemis, Holly, and that centaur, Foaly. Maybe it was just prejudice, perhaps because she had more beauty than Opal, and for a pubescent girl, it was surprising, and she didn't want to imagine how pretty she'd get when she was an adult. Opal shuddered. That ridiculous girl! But she had to admit, she will prove useful for her next step in her plan.Koboi turned around, looking at the Brills, who were doing last-minute check-ups on the pod before the flare arrived, and ocasionally ckecking a watch that hung on one of the walls. Opal rolled her eyes.

"Oh, both of you calm down, I already checked the things myself! You two were too busy considering what you were doing and how it'll end and let me tell you this until it's engraved in your minds: there is no turning back, you two have been infiltrated into this particular assignament so much that if you betray me, you won't live to see me react." This last part of her speech sounded like a hiss of venom.

The twins stopped in their tracks and gulped, and felt their saliva slip trough their Adam's apple. She already knew about the guilt they have been feeling since they escaped, and now she was threatening them with death if they did something to oppose her. They both decided to lie, their stricken faces dissapearing like wiping dirt with a piece of cloth, only to be replaced with a frown on their faces.

"No ma'm, why would we do that?" Both of them said at the same time, shock in their voices.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Mervall answered.

"No way." The other twin responded.

The female pixie's eyes glinted at them, tryint to intimidate them by looking at their eyes, hoping they'd say the truth, but didn't at all. There would be time later on after the victory was hers.

"No matter, strap yourselves up, I have the estimation that the flare will arrive in a minute. And good thing too, the longer I sit still, the more wrinkly this amazingly beautiful dress will become! I don't want that on this night!"

Scant rolled his eyes behind her back, but his voice said. "Oh no, we dont'want that! That dress brings out your beauty if I may say so, miss."

Opal fluttered her eyelashes. "You've finally said something that makes sense, this must be a breakthrough!"

Scant was ready to be offended if he had to keep playing. Apparently so did his brother. They both settled in the pilot and copilot's seat, and as they strapped in, they saw in their screen next to the gears that the flare was coming in ten seconds.

"Ready Miss Koboi," Merv announced and since he was sitting in the pilot's seat (He was a much better flier than Scant.) and took the handle, and then he felt the jolt hit him in surprise as the flare forced them upwards.

Opal and the Brills arrived ten minutes later at Isla Mujeres, exactly where Holly and Mulch arrived. How did they know this? They appeared on the spot where both of them had been days before, even if nothing remained of them. Maybe the only obvious thing close to a trace was their footprints.

"Good, Holly is here too," Koboi sighed dramatically, and then she smelled something, wrinkling her nose afterwards. "Ugh, that infamous Mulch Diggums is here also."

Merv and Scant stood behind her. "What should we do now, miss?"

She turned to both of them. "Wait twenty minutes,and then we'll head towards _El Templo del Zafiro."_

"Sorry for asking this," Scant said lowly. "But are you sure he won't figure out anything about the surprise attack?"

"Of course not! He may be smart, but not so quite. I don't think he's the type to be interested in such things as dances so, no, I take he's not."

"Very smart, miss,"

"Truly-"

"Oh, shut up!" Opal screeched and several birds flew away from their trees like a whiplash. Don't get Opal angry so early.

Eight o' clock already. It was almost time, and Artemis had to admit to himself, but he was feeling a bit better now, and was enjoying the music. Then, after Maite had finished the song off, the next one began and Anahi began with Ali's favorite song, and strangely, it might be that it was starting to turn into Artemis's too, why, he just found it very addicting like chocolate, well, in his case, anything that was out of the ordinary for sane people.

"Ali..." Artemis nudged her to point this out, and she was giddy with excitement.

"Arty..." She said back. Artemis was smiling to her again, but this time because he had been called Arty, when he didn't like many people call him by that pet name.

It got to the pre-chorus, and then the girls, Dulce and Maite, nudged Artemis to join them into the singing, but he shook his head many times.

"If I'm not mistaking, RBD wants the winner of our contest, Artemis Fowl, to sing with them!" The commentator said. "How lucky that guy is!"

Lucky? Artemis knew he couldn't escape, so he was forced to join them, but not alone. As he got pulled, he took hold of Ali's hand and instead of seven, there were eight. RBD was surprised, but the song kept to where it had paused for a moment.

"_Duele ser..." _Anahi went on, and handed the microphone to Artemis, who took it and held it to his mouth, but didn't sing. He looked taken aback and handed it to Ali, who kept it on.

"_La que te busca por telefono...Duele ser..."_

"Why do I always get to take you home? …" Artemis said next to Ali, but in his normal voice. Ali looked surprised and he shrugged, while some people in the audience laughed their heads off seeing the young boy talk instead of sing.

"If it's too late, if we are over, should be colder, you're not walking away, If it's too late, then why did you stay?..." Anahi, Dulce and Maite continued, while Ali and Artemis sneaked behind them.

"That was surprinsing," She whispered. "Yet funny."

"Really, I didn't think I'd be able to look like an idiot not doing or saying anything, would I?" Artemis said, grinning a small smile.

"No, it wouldn't fit you at all," Ali agreed, shaking her head, and then she held his hand. "Do you think you can handle the pressure, Arty?"

"Who do you think you're talking too, Ali?" Artemis chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Let's go!"

Both went back to the front of the stage, and the song was almost halfway, when the boys finally starting to sing, saying phrases like, _It's not like that_ or _If there's true love,_ when the girls started to vocalize, and Annie kept on, and handed Ali the microphone.

"Finish it off," She said in Spanish to her, or so Artemis heard. "And sing it with all the energy you have! And be happy! " She winked at Artemis, who grinned back at her. She didn't remember meeting him, or Maite and Dulce.

Ali was pleasantly stunned and she turned to Artemis, with a smile on her face. She began to sing- _to Artemis?_ She was looking at him instead of the audience, so Artemis decided to let her do what she had in mind, that was if she was thinking of saying something that might let her feelings slip, and to him, maybe this was it.

"_Duele ser la que te busca por telefono, Duele ser la que navega en busca del amor, Me duele ver que las miradas van cayendo y se hace tarde y no se…" _She looked at him as if trying to say something to him, hoping he'd understand that message, and Artemis felt that we was actually getting her point, so he nodded and smiled his vampire smile, but not to scare her, but to make her feel what she wanted: that there was somebody that didn't want to hurt her, and let her know that somebody was there for her. But the next thing was just as surprising: Artemis sang the last bit.

"…_Tal vez Despues, me vuelvas a ver…_

_La que te busca por telefono,_

_Duele ser la que navega en busca del amor,_

_Me duele ver que las miradas van cayendo y se hace tarde y no se,_

_Tal vez Despues…" _

He looked at the girl when he sang all of this, thinking that maybe this song should be a dedication to her.

It ended. Alison walked towards Artemis as the audience clapped loudly, their table the loudest, and both teens grinned at each other and walked down the stage, and took their seats.

"That was some show you gave, Artemis," Butler said, patting his young charge. "I know I've known you for a long time, but never did I hear you sing."

"Well, there are some secrets that shouldn't be known," Artemis said. "And besides, I might do that if I'm alone in my room back at Fowl Manor. I don't always work on my plans or create mind games to fool people."

"Hmm, he does have a busy life, you know," Juliet commented. "I remember him when he was just ten, he was working on a science project for the school science fair. Remember Arty?"

He nodded. "Yes, one of my first victories during my elementary school years. Some of my classmates envied me for that, and some still have that remorse."

"Why, what did you do?" No1 asked, lifting the hood off his eyes a bit to get a clearer look at him.

"I cloned the DNA of an Irish Setter dog that belonged to one of the villagers in Duncade by the name of..." Artemis shuddered for a moment. "Artemis. Can you believe that? I was a laughingstock for a while every time I visited the place during the summer, but it was forgotten. Anyway, moving that aside, I had to give it a rabies vaccine, along with some other shots so the dog could be healthy. I got first place for it, though I wish I could have gotten a higher place; All the others did simple things such as 'What are the effects of drugs on people' or 'Which is stronger? Metal or Bone?' I know, that is so simple, but we were all young, weren't we?"

"Wow, and you were ten?" Greg asked, raising a dirty blonde eyebrow.

"I remember doing a project at that age too," Minerva recounted, red eyes looking at them. "I did the hypothesis about time and space and of how it will disintegrate before time. That's how I learned about Abbot and such."

Butler checked his watch. "It's a quarter after eight. Should I bring Mulch down, now? Or wait a couple more minutes?" He was looking at Artemis.

"Do you mind waiting five more minutes, old friend? And don't forget to take the other camfoil, and make sure he wears it, along with his iris cam." Artemis thought for a moment. "And do tell him now to unleash any of his, er... _talents_ on his way down here."

"Don't worry Artemis, I'm on it."

"Good. Let's get this party started." Holly said simultaneously, in a hushed voice, preparing her handgun.

Butler stood up and waved them good-bye.

Butler took the elevator to go up, and as he went up, he pondered on Artemis's new plan. He knew that there was peril abroad, and didn't knew if they were actually going to make it out of this one without having millions of eyes staring at them. He felt anxious, something was creeping on him, rising with each time he took his breath: fear. He was afraid that something might happen to Artemis because he was risking many lives, and even more because Artemis himself was going to face Koboi, and that was a bodyguards' worst nightmare. Then he remembered he wasn't Artemis's bodyguard anymore. He kept wondering if he had taken the right decision, leaving Artemis to deal on his own.

The Eurasian man strode towards room 310, and once he unlocked the door, he walked straight towards the bathroom, the place that became out of all the places he has been, Mulch's favorite hideout.

"Mulch?" Butler said, taking out his Sig Sauer out of his pocket and holding it in front of him, wrinkling his nose because of he foul smell Mulch's scent was giving out. That suit didnt work for him, then, he thought, should I tell Foaly that it actually doesn't "Where are you?"

"Bathtub." His voice replied from behind the flowered curtains of the tub.

The old bodyguard couldn't take any risks, so he slowly sneaked where he was, and in one pull, tore the curtains and pointed his gun at a fat, thoroughly bored dwarf, who looked menaced at the sight of the gun.

"I haven't done anything that might upset you or Arty," he replied, standing up. "But be careful where you point that thing, I almost got a wind attack!"

"Sorry, but I had to, I mean, what if that pixie got you and set up a trap?"

Mulch shook his head. "Doubt it, I don't think she had time to set up a trap in here, especially since I haven't seen her because I've been spending my time in here."

"Oh, right." Butler shook his head. "It's time, so get that camfoil on."

"Do I have to?" Mulch whined. "I really need some fresh air."

"Artemis's orders."

Mr. Diggums heaved a dramatic sigh and took Foaly's creation from among the stack of towels and donned it on.

"Ready, big man,"

"Oh, and..."

"What now?" Mulch persisted. "Get some perfume also?"

"No, but try not to unleash any gases prone to attack any moment."

"That?" Mulch sounded dissapointed. "I'll try hard not to, there's a big one trying to explode, and it's causing me a bit of a tingle in my stomach, so if you hear an explosion, that was me."

"Mulch, remember Artemis's words: No traces."

"Fine, no traces...if my tummy can help it." He said in a hushed voice, hoping Butler wouldn't hear.

"I heard that."

Mulch swore and followed the Eurasian man out of the room.

Artemis the Second was now constantly checking his watch, and feeling too anxious. In the past, executing his plans weren't much of a problem, since he knew they would work, but since the C Cube incident, he had finally been aware of his talents and to not risk anyone's health, or better, their lives, so this particular plan might be the greatest one he's done, since there was the risk of being seen by other human not mesmerised, and the risk was not only the talent of being hidden, but of not killing anyone, but at least it will be the one to destroy Opal for good now.

He looked at the others. No1 didn't seem too worried. All he knew was that he completely trusted Artemis, and knew that they wouldn't fail with him on their side, which gave Artemis a bit more of confidence about this scheme. Juliet, he thought, that girl must be ready for action, and of course she was. She was ready for whatever came her way, and no matter what, she would make it, so there was no trace of emotion on her face, just a simple smile on her pretty face, listening to the songs. Moving to Minerva, she had recovered, and completely ignored Omar, who kept taking glances at her, and the determined and blazing look Artemis had seen on her the day they helped her get out of Billy Kong's grasp was etched on her face, her brains ready, fixing her glasses. Only one who did seem to be in a bit of trouble was Alison. She tried to hide it, but magical sparks weren't much help, and her fingers seemed to be vibrating with the magic, and her shaking nervousness. Once or twice she shivered. Artemis looked at her and took her shaking hands into his own and it calmed her down instantly.

"Don't worry Ali," He said in what he hoped was a courageous voice brimmed with confidence. "I'm here with you, and I'm not going to let Opal or anyone hurt you tonight. No one at all."

She looked into her own hands entangled with his, and looked up. "Thanks for saying that, it makes me feel better, but I'm just..." She heaved a disgruntled sigh, and leaned on his shoulder. Artemis cushioned his head on top of hers. "Just kill me and end it. But why does she need me at all? I'm just Ali. Crazy, talkative, hyperactive Ali."

"We're talking about Opal Koboi, and she plans big things, but I don't know why she needs you," This was a complete lie. He figured out that it was the only way to get to him, by using one of the people he cared for, and No1 for his powerful magic. He didn't say any of this because he didn't want her to think he was becoming emotional, not on a time of action. He continued. "And you're very important right now; Forget about me and the rest, you're the one that matters now. Who cares if you're crazy and talkative? you can trust that I don't. You have other great qualities that make you a very strong girl. I admire you for that. I really do. And that's why I don't want anyone to hurt you: Because _I _care."

"I'm always looking up to you, and I just met you, I mean, you're smart, you're a great guy, and I really like that about you."

"I'm glad you like me, but just forget about me, and think of yourself now."

"But I can't forget about you-" She hastened her voice. "Or the rest."

Artemis didn't know what to say next, so he grabbed her hand tightly, and told her to follow him.

"What's wrong?" She asked as Artemis pulled her.

"I have to tell you something," He said hurriedly, not having any idea of where he was actually going, until he saw a door and he pushed it open, not noticing the words 'Janitor's closet' etched on it, and led her inside it. Alison looked at him.

"You want to tell me something in... a janitor's closet? Just how important is it?"

Artemis looked closer and noticed that he didn't pay any attention to the sign in front of the door. "I... no, I would have preferred a better place, but I suppose this will do." He strained his ears. "Which song are we on now?"

"Uh, _Fui la niña_." She smiled.

"I thought so," Artemis sighed.

"What do you have to say?" The girl asked, her lips moving to this song now.

What do I have to say? Artemis asked himself. Well, pretty much everything. All that I have in me. Everything that's been causing my confusion. You. What I feel for you. From the beginning to the end. I'm always thinking about you...you're pretty, smart, honest, and I feel happy whenever I hear you sing... But your feelings are so simple to understand, just delicate... I love that. Who cares if you're the complete opposite of me? I just can't keep this inside of me, I just can't do it anymore. Whatever I feel might as well be love after all. Just like Holly said.

Ali kept looking at him, unaware of the feelings Artemis was having, and now the sound of the song filled their silence.

_Quize creer que asi nos ganaria un final feliz…_

_I wante__d to believe this would be the only way to get us a happy ending. _Artemis thought this over and realized it was true after all. He thought this new audacious plan would get them a happy ending if they destroyed Opal's plan, and if he got his happy ending, but if Alison died in the hands of Opal, he'd never get that ending he wished since his life changed.

"Artemis?" Ali asked. "Are you alright?"

The Irish boy looked at her, and didn't know what to say to her. What he felt was an impulse, and he knew that he still wasn't ready to say all of that. Not yet.

"I- well, I don't think you should be the one traded for the other end of the deal. This can't be on my conscience."

Alison blinked at him. "I think it's a little late for that."

"Maybe, but," He held her shoulders. "If something happens to you, you have all the right to blame me."

She smiled sweetly at him, and Artemis almost got lost. "It doesn't make me feel any more confident, but I'll that in mind."

"Alright then."

"But if it does, you'll get punished _my _way." She gave him an impish grin, and Artemis sent her his famous vampire smile. "But that's if I'm still around."

"Who said anything that you might die?" Artemis asked, wondering what kind of punishment he'd get, his smile slipping away.

She shrugged. "I can see it in your eyes. I know that they're trying to tell me something."

"Like what?" He asked, hoping she didn't know how to read body language. Alright, maybe she wasn't that different from him. That was actually good for him.

"I don't know, that they might be afraid of your little punishment from me. Or of what might happen tonight."

"Well, I wish they'd stay quiet and to not reveal my feelings."

"Too late."

"I don't think I have to worry now." Artemis responded testily.

"But I think you should worry. You don't know me as much as you should."

"And neither do you. Everyone knows me enough to not toy around with me."

"Exactly, the same thing with me, so don't mess me up now."

"Don't worry. I won't. For now."

She looked at him closely. "I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that you're coming up with something right now."

"I might, but it's a thought." He answered her. "A thought that has reached a limit."

Ali looked quizically at him. "No idea what you mean by that, but if that's all of what you wanted to tell me..." Her voice trailed off, slowly taking the door's handle.

"No!" Artemis took her hand, and she turned to look at him, their eyes locked and their hands were glued. "I mean, sorry about that, but- I..." He couldn't let go of her hand for some reason.

Alison smiled once more. "At loss for words? Is that common in magical genies?"

"In a matter of speaking, no, but-" Artemis groaned. He had no idea what to say. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. He just wanted to be with her a little longer.

Her brown eyes glittered and played around the blue eyes, and the next thing Artemis knew, she was right in front of him, looking determined. Artemis let go of her.

"Whatever you have to say doesn't have to do with Opal or anything involved in this mess, does it?"

Hmm, he thought quietly, she's pretty sharp. He looked at her sadly and shook his head gently. She returned the look and folded her arms, as if a shiver had just run through her spine. She turned her back on him.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

She nodded weakly, and looked over her shoulder. "I don't know, I suddenly felt cold."

"Do you want my cape?" Artemis asked yet again, offering his black cape to her.

"It must've been the magic," She said as Artemis wrapped her in the cloth. "I've been getting surges like this I've working out the magic."

"Foaly said it might get a bit worse throughout the years."

"Never mind," She shivered again. "What do you really want to tell me? And don't tell me you're feeling guilty now. You said it yourself, it's not Opal."

Artemis finally spoke. "Well, of course, it's not. But I can say that it's something... personal. From deep inside me. About this friendship."

The conversation rushed to a halt.

"As in... you and me? Like each other?" She wondered after a while, her voice breathing softly.

Artemis didn't respond, but shook his head after five seconds, trying to resist the temptation to nod.

"Oh," She sighed. "Wrong conclusion then."

It's hopeless, he thought, I can't hide this forever. Neither cas she. We can't do this anymore.

"Shall we go?" Artemis asked politely, feeling a bit miserable. But Alison didn't move.

"I have to tell you something, now hear me when I say this..." She said quietly, nearing him, placing one of her fingers on his lips. "_Si lo que ves no te va, deja ya de buscar dentro de mi lo que ya no esta, si lo que ves se te va junto a tu soledad, se perderá y jamás volverá…_ (If what you see won't go with you, stop searching inside of me of what isn't there, If what you see goes away with your own loneliness, it'll get lost and it'll never come back.)_"_

All the Irish boy could do was listen to her, and their background music, which had the words Ali had said. What was he doing? He kept looking for an answer, the reason for what he felt, he tried to find it inside of her, tried to blame her for it. If he kept running away from this and never say it out loud, she'd get distanced from him, and might as well find the loneliness he had lost inside him, something he was happy for, and it might as well never come back.

Artemis looked at her, and tried to smile, but it came to his mind that she was the one that said everything, all she wanted was his word on it, to say what he thought.

She looked at him, and a stray tear rolled down her cheek, and looked down. Artemis felt bad enough for lying to her, so he gently nestled her into his chest and hugged her.

He didn't know if he had the answer in his hand yet, he needed time to think, but it wasn't the time now because at that moment the song _Cariño mio _began, with the words _Dance, dance, dance..._ at it warned Artemis that it was time, and he was about to run out of the place and look for Butler, who seemed to be taking a long time to go and get Mulch, and then did he notice that something was wrong.

Some kind of icy fire grew inside of Artemis. _No one is going to hurt my princess anymore, _he thought.

**°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°°w°**

**Hmm. The climax is starting up now, along with the crush Artemis has.**

**And yes, I have no idea why I always relate songs with Artemis's feelings, but it just comes out, and it kinda happens to me also.**

**Now please answer this question dear reader –if anyone's reading it- What do you think so far? Is it good? Does it suck really badly? I would appreciate your opinion so I can make any correction to a mistake you may spot- I do that on purpose sometimes. **

**And now, I'm begging you on bended knees... **_**PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW! PLEASE!**_** I like the feeling when you open your mail and see people that have reviewed your story! I have received mails saying that I'm on Alert and such, but no reviews! PLEASE! I would really like to know what people think of my writing. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW! PLEASE!**

**Songs mentioned: Tal vez despues, Fui la niña, Cariño mio.**

**P.S- PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! PLEASE RATE!**

**Oh, and sorry for the awfully long chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12: Pain

Chapter 12: Pain

**Hey, I'm back! **_**I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry**_** for those that had to wait for me to post, but these last three weeks have been crazy because of my homework and rumors going around, and more homework, so it's been rather busy, and with our Mother's Day dance the 3****rd**** years have to do to beat 1****st**** and 2****nd**** years... It's quite dreadful, even more because my back got hurt since the girls wanted to do chearleading routines –and we suck beause we're not very balanced... XD-, and the most important thing that happened was that the computer I was using deleted this chapter last week, so I had to wait another week so I could post. Anyway, moving my lame excuse away, here is chapter 12, packed with a bit more action than the last ones and I hope you all enjoy it. ****Please**** Rate and Review!**

**Disclaimer****: Ahem... Artemis Fowl does not belong to me, nor does RBD or anything else related to the Irish genius and the Mexican group, only Alison and Greg are mine. You all got that memorized? great!**

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**Chapter 12****: Pain**

Butler was wondering why on earth the elevator was going rather slow on their way down, and it didn't help with a certain Mulch ranting about his impatience after being in the elevator for five minutes.

"Mulch, do me a favor and shut up." 

"In case you hadn't noticed, we're stuck in here!" Mulch interjected. "You don't need Artemis to realize that, do you?"

"I know that." He looked at the number of the floor they were on, the tenth. "But how? This thing was working just fine when I went to fetch you."

"What time is it? We've been here for a while."

The Eurasian man checked his watch. "Oh gods above, it's half past eight...Artemis."

The color drained from both their faces. "We need to get out of here," Butler looked around, trying to find something that might help them, and as he looked up, he saw a small door above him. He raised his arms and pushed it upwards with great effort, and realized his mammoth hands barely fit on that small amount of space. The only creature who could do something was standing next to him.

"Mulch, do me a favor."

"What?" Mulch asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, here's what I want you to do: Get up on my shoulders, and got up there and cut the linings so the elevator will fall down on its own."

Mulch Diggums considered it. "Wouldn't that mean risking my noble life?"

He nodded gravely. "It would, but it's our only chance to get out of here. You don't want to stay here with me forever, do you?"

Mulch responded eagerly and immediately took off the cam foil, throwing it into a corner. "Fine then. Get me up on your shoulders."

Butler lifted him up, and slided Mulch into the opening. The bodyguard took a small, but sharp knife from out of his pockets.

"Here, take this, and be careful with that, it's really sharp, and it might accidently slice you up."

"Now you're talking." Mulch grunted, looking up. Wow, he thought, it looks like an abbyss up there. Just how many floors are there in this hotel exactly?

"Mulch, you old reprobate, get going!" He heard Butler boom.

Oh dear, Mulch thought as he looked at the linings, not an enraged Butler again.

Diggums decided to weaken the upper ropes, and then cut the ones next to him, as he felt the ones above him would resist a few moments more than the ones below, which would make it easier for Mulch to get back in with Butler. 

He carefully walked to a corner and felt the solid wall with a hairy hand. Concrete. Not the best material for Mulch to climb on, but it'd have to do. 

The once-in-a-life criminal flexed his fingertips, and as he did so, he felt the familiar tingle in his beard, warning his that there was something wrong. Something bad was going to happen, if not, fatal. He tried to ignore it, but it was difficult when your life was hanging on the rope, but literally, of course.

He took a deep breath, took off his shoes and gloves, and, slowly, he began to climb upward, an estimate of five meters up. His pores were crying out for water, due to the fact that he hadn't drunk any water for more than two days, and even though he was used to it, he had been feeling a bit weak these days, but no matter, Mulch went on, thinking that if he made it out of this one without a scratch on his face, he'd give Artemis Fowl a kick in the behind for risking everyone's lives again. 

One meter up, he groaned, four more to go. He thought he heard Butler's ragged breath, filled with nervousness, and of course, he knew Artemis was in inminent danger, but he had taken a liking of the boy. He may sometimes be a pain in the butt because of his genius, but deep inside, he was just a normal boy, or so Mulch thought, and they did share some things in common, but that was in the past, and no matter what happened, he didn't want Artemis to get hurt after all the things he'd done to help Mulch, and not only him, but what he did for the People. His eyes slid out of focus for a moments and shook himself, but not that much, as to not lose his balance, and he felt a tingle in his fingers. He instantly knew that a very small amount of moisture must'be been inside the concrete because he almost slipped, and his pores were reduced a fraction of a millimeter, so he climbed on quickly, but decided against it as he delved into deeper thought that if he did that, death would come and greet him.

_Artemis, _he thought, _you are so getting that kick from my lovely foot._

Mulch Diggums tried to distract himself a bit with empty threats towards Artemis, and realized he had almost reached his goal. Once he finally reached the five meters, did he carefully pull out the sharp knife Butler gave him and he calculated how much force of wind he'd need to reach the rope from the wall. He felt inside of him that little gas squirming inside of him, and he knew it was big one, so he would try to release a bit from it to get him to the other side. He felt it coming out of it, so he knew he had less than five seconds and as soon as thought of this, a rather forceful squib pushed him fowards, and there he was, his life hanging. Finally.

With one hand, he cut the upper rope and he felt the elevator shake up a little, but no matter, one more second and he' live. He looked down and thinking that he must be going crazy, he jumped and landed on his bottom, and the object gave another shake. Mulch groaned and realized that once he cut the last rope, he'd have less than a second to jump back in with Butler.

_God,_ his mind said, _if I make it out of this one, I promise I won't steal ever again!_ He closed his eyes shut, and then opened them again, and with a mighty tug, cut the rope and he was instantly pulled downwards. His cheeks weer being pulled from his skin, but trying to get into a small space seemed to difficult even if it was easy. But tried he did. After what seemed to be an eternity, he made it in.

"Are you alright Mulch?" Butler asked gravely, looking at Mulch.

"After Artemis gets his kick, I will be." Mulch cackled nastily.

"Damn it!" Ali whispered into his chest when she heard the song. "Artemis, this is goodbye for now." She looked at him in the eye, her tears dissapearing fast, replaced by the usual fierceness Artemis liked about her.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. Just don't worry." Artemis reassured her, and because of his impulsive side that was coming out more and more, he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, which seemed to have lasted an eternity for him. He didn't want to let go again. He felt he couldn't, shouldn't and wouldn't, but sadly, he did. He took her hand and led her out of the room, looking out. People still seemed to be enjoying the night, but only two seconds later was a crash heard and people gasped.

Alison swore, angry. "Elevator. Butler and Mulch."

"She messed up the elevators." Artemis answered, not noticing the last three words.

"I obviously noticed that, but I meant BUTLER AND MULCH!" She yelled, and many turned to look at her, but she ignored them. "Let's go!"

Both ran as fast as they can and found the shafts to look a bit cracked because of the impact. Artemis slammed with his hands the doors.

"Butler! Mulch! Can you hear me?" 

No answer.

"Please!"

Still no answer. Artemis kept trying another five times until Alison pushed him aside and yelled, "Mulch, answer before I start yelling out your dirty little secret!"

It seemed to have worked because at the moment, an enourmous mammoth hand appeared and put his hand on Alison's shoulder, and she nearly slipped, but Artemis held on to her waist to prevent her from falling. Mulch came out and once he spotted Artemis, he aimed a kick at him, but he couldn't reach more than his knee. 

"Ow!" 

"That's for risking everyone's lives again," He looked at Alison. "Alison, how do you calm down your _boyfriend _with his crazy ideas?"

Alison blushed.

"Artemis, how do you make your _girlfriend _speak without blushing?"

It was Artemis's turn to blush.

"And how do you-"

"QUIET, MULCH!" Both Alison and Artemis yelled at him. 

"You two should definetely go out."

"Opal rigged the elevators?" Butler asked Artemis, who nodded, ignoring Mulch completely.

"Yes. But she didn't bother to distract the people in the restaurant. She wants things to go quick."

"Okay, Let's get going, but we need to get those people out, but how?" Butler asked as they stepped into the restaurant again. Artemis didn't answer, but the girl did.

"Dance-off." Alison said.

"What?"

"Dance, genie."

"You can't be-"

"I am. You're in Mexico, what'd you expect?" She said, her tone too serious. She wasn't joking this time. She walked up to the center of the crowd. "DANCE-OFF!" 

"What do you have in mind?" Artemis asked her in a low voice, trotting behind her wake. 

She looked as the crowd began to near them, and waited before she answered. "Er... It's not a plan actually, but it'll serve as a distraction... At least, that's what I think." She looked at him. "Well? What are you waiting for, buddy? Hold on to me."

"What?" He murmured, slightly dazed because of what was about to happen in a matter of minutes.

"Dude, snap out of it. Hold on to me and we'll dance."

"Are you sure you want me to?"

Ali sighed rather impatienly, but with one swift glance at Artemis, she smiled. "Look, if I didn't know you, I wouldn't be crazy enough to let some stranger hold on to me. But..." She winked at him in a friendly way. "Since it's Artemis Fowl I'm talking to, then it's no problem. So Arty take Ali's waist."

He grinned. "Are you sure this is going to work?" He asked as he wrapped one hand onto her waist, the other holding her hand.

"It's the only idea I've got."

Artemis sighed and the hand that was holding her waist lowered to her thighs slowly. Alison's cheeks popped pink patches. Artemis blushed. He was happy his mother wasn't there to see him do that. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do _you_ have in mind?" 

"Not whatever you're thinking of," He said hurried, as the song got to the chorus. "It's a Tango I was thinking of. " His hand raised her leg, and Alison blushed even more and holding her dress so it wouldn't be lifted up along the way. Artemis tried to look out, and saw three figures flying out in the darkness, ready for the surprise attack.

"Tango or not, don't reach the limit." She looked embarassed when she said that. "And this song is not a Tango rhythym!"

"I'm improvising." He murmured shyly. Alison looked shocked.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind!" She whispered frantically.

_So Dance, dance, dance, _

_Baby,__Rock, Rock, Rock,_

_Let'__s roll, roll, roll_

_Contigo Cariño mio..._

_You make me wanna salsa,_

_You make me wanna cha-cha_

_Slow it down, get up and down,_

_Mueve la cintura, turn it around..._

Artemis led Ali in many difficult, smooth paces, not to mention, uncomfortable for them because of the fact that the Tango was the romanticism in the form of dancing, though Artemis didn't mind very much. It was another excuse to be close to her, but maybe an exaggeration because he was holding her in an odd fashion that made her feel uncomfortable, and made both of them blush very much. The people followed them outside, dancing at the same time as Artemis twirled Alison and twirled her back to him, their faces a few inches from each other, and a thought jolted up on Artemis. _Just kiss her... _But Artemis tried hard to ignore that heart-warming thought, but when he felt it was about to happen and was about to act, leaning forward slowly, a couple ran into them and separated them. The Irish boy noticed that the interior of the restaurant was empty and he made it back with Alison, where he found Minerva, Gregory, Holly and No1 ready for action. The Irish teen ignored the thoughts about himself and Alison. 

Artemis looked back, but Opal was nowhere to be seen.

"Artemis!" Alison yelled. "Close that door!"

Artmeis didn't like to take orders from anyone, but the fact that he earned her respect, and that she was fired up made him ignore his thoughts. Besides, she was the only one that bossed him around when she felt like it and when he was in a good mood since... well, since he met her.

"Hey!" Greg spoke out. "What about _them?" _He pointed out to the RBD integrants, who looked not only shocked, but surprised, and were quite amused ina scared way that their bodyguards were out of action.

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Artemis said quietly. Ali slapped him behind his head.

"Smooth, genie."

Artemis was about to retort, but she did have a point. He completely forgot about them. Minerva seemed to have read his mind.

"It's fine, Artemis," She reassured him, then added, "Look, I'll take care of them, while you go see where Opal is. It's going to be fine."

Artemis walked over to her and held her shoulders. "I trust you, Minerva."

"I know you do, which is why I'm doing it."

"Okay then, we have about five minutes, do what you have to do, and quick." Artemis stood and thought for a minute. "Alison, you're coming with me."

She was taken aback. "Again?"

Arteis didn't answer, but blushed on the spot. 

Butler stepped up, looking stern. "Artemis, I know I'm not your bodyguard anymore, but I'm still responsible for you, wherever you are."

He looked at the Eurasian man sadly. "I know, old friend, but I need you here. Alison and I will serve only as a distraction to get her in here. Afterwards, she'll take them," He looked at Alison and No1, who looked peaky, but determined.

"Come on, Alison," He said, motioning her to take his hand, which was outstretched in front of her. She took it without hesitation and both walked out of the restaurant rather slowly, as if trying to stall time, even for just a bit. When both saw that the reception was destroyed, among the shattered remains of expensive plants and ripped oils on canvas, did both of them step back.

_Opal was here, _Artemis noticed. _Check_. "Okay, this is good."

"What? This?" Alison said increduously. "Hopefully, my body won't end up like that," She pointed to a ripped canvas. Artemis triend not to grin. _It was a bad joke, but who cares?_ he thought.

"No you won't." He told her, straight in the eye. "It'd be stupid to kill someone as pretty as you."

She blinked, and stepped over some destroyed plants. "You can really pick up a moment to be sarcastic." 

"I was being honest." He said quietly.

She didn't say anything for a second. "You- You think I'm pretty?"

He looked at her increduously. "And you still bother to ask? Ali, you're not just pretty; you're amazing, funny, smart, caring, loyal, sweet, you have a big heart, they're qualities that make you a great person!"

She turned to look at him. "Oh."

He didn't say anything for a minute. "It's the truth."

He suddenly realized that Ali had never received any compliments about herself by looking at the state of her expression, and that he was probably the first to have ever done that, not including her family.

Another crash was heard, and two small pixies entered the hotel entrance, and behind them, Opal Koboi entered triumphantly in a Hoverboy, resplandescent in a black dress. She giggled maniatically.

"Remember me?" She asked both of them, and both teens ran back to the restaurant, Artemis hoping that Opal would follow them.

"Hurry up, Alison!" Artemis said, looking behind his back.

"I'm trying, genie!" She hissed. "But thinking that she might kill me doesn't help!"

"Good point!" He said as both made it back into the restaurant. They halted, Alison running into Artemis, and both falling to the floor. 

"Why does this always happen?" Alison asked herself, groaning.

"I'll be happy to answer you, Ali, but if wouldn't don't mind..." He struggled to say as Ali was on top of him. She helped him up.

"Sorry 'bout that. Are you okay?"

"Yes." He straightened up and looked at the warlock, who had finally revealed himself and thrown away his cape. "No1, are you ready now?"

"Ready for duty."

He looked at Alison with a soft look on his face. "Ali?"

Magic sparks erupted from her slim fingers, turning from white to gold, and a proud look appeared on her face, her eyes dancing in fire. "I'm so ready for it."

Again, he couldn't help but admire her. _I like her even more. _He thought, looking at her in a dazed fashion. _But what is it that makes me like her? Her smile, her personality, the passion in her eyes, perhaps?... _

Alison walked in front of Artemis and snapped her fingers. "Focus, genie! Less time on the moon!"

"Okay," He said hurried. "What did you do with-"

"RBD?" Minerva asked. "Holly mesmerised them, and now they're locked up in the closet, and they think they're sleeping right now."

"Good, and," He hesitated for a moment, looking behind his back again. "Thanks for helping. It means a lot."

"Anytime. You did help me also, remember?"

He smiled at her, and then looked at the Mexican girl and the warlock. "Alison, No1, I need you to act as though you're terrified." Both nodded, and Artemis got in front of Alison.

"Is that necessary?" 

"Trust me, it is."

As if on cue, Opal's shrilly voice was heard. "Ooh, now we're playing hide and seek? I don't think so!" and she came in, curled like a cat in her Hoverboy, an evil smile on her face. The grin widened when she spotted Artemis in front of Alison.

"Aww, now you're protecting your girlfriend, Arty?" She asked in a mockingly sweet voice. "Afraid that I might take her away from you?"

"Don't. Call. Me. Arty." He said quietly, walking towards Opal. She giggled.

"Ooh, I touched a nerve..." She sighed dramatically. "But do tell: Why would I hurt your _pretty_ girlfriend, Alison? I don't have that in mind, but even if I did dispose of her, nobody would miss her."

Artemis glared at her, a cold look materializing in his eyes. He heard Alison trying to give a realistic whimper. _Focus,_ he said to himself, _this is part of it, don't loose your anger again. _"Leave her out of this, this is between us."

"Another nerve, and your weak spot." 

He didn't respond, but realized that it was the truth. She changed the subject. 

"I see you brought the whole original gang..." She noticed Minerva and Greg. "And I really don't care who they are, but if it's needed, it's goodbye to them also."

"What now, Koboi?" Holly shouted. "You want to kill us all in order to fulfill your revenge?"

"Always imprudent, Captain?" An eyebrow was raised. "But you are right, after the physical deformation I went through, I think killing those who made my life hell would be appropiate... Artemis first, then you."

"No!" Alison yelled from behind Artemis, and Greg, who knew her better, held her back. "You kill Artemis and Holly, then you'll kill me too!"

She laughed maniatically. "It's rather funny that that attitude will land you on your grave very soon." 

Alison backed away, shrugged Greg off, and held Artemis's hand tightly. Artemis hoped she remembered what he told her a few days before. He had told her that her magic was like a sensor to her feelings; Each color the sparks threw out was an emotion. He had told her to control them as much as she could, and like energy, to transform it into something else, like a hug, tears, whatever came into mind. The first few times she had failed, but at the tenth try did she do well, well enough for Artemis to invite some drinks and ice cream, hearing some music on Artemis's brand new iPod Nano (A/N: I can imagine the song _Extraña Sensacion _being heard by both of them. This song might appear in a later chapter.)

Artemis was about to smile because Alison had done very well, a good actress by nature, and it was only the fourth time she had done it perfectly. Her fear and determination was being transformed into the pressure Artemis felt in his hand, and he felt proud of at least having taught her how to control herself. He squeezed it gently.

"Artemis, you look pathetic when it comes to girls," Opal continued. "did you know that?"

Just get to the point, Opal." He sighed. "We're here, are we not?"

"And it's still not enough for me." She sighed sadly, but laughed again. "Mervall, Descant, come!"

The Brill twins scurried in, and when they saw Holly and Artemis, did they look a bit sorry, and looked down, shame drawn on their faces.

"Yes miss?"

"Grab that Mud Girl and the warlock. Now!"

Minerva screamed in a realistic way, and Greg moved her from the pixies's sight, while Butler's broad body covered Artemis and Alison for a second. Artemis pulled Alison close to him and leaned to tell her something.

"What is it?" She asked hurriedly.

"Just be brave Ali, and make me proud."

She looked confused as to why he said that, and wanted to respond, but then she felt something tugging her arm rather fiercely, and both looked down to see it was one of the twins, Mervall. Alison tried o set herself free, but couldn't because the force was too strong.

"Let go of me!" She shouted, but was immediately knocked to the floor along with Artemis as Butler got punched in the face by Koboi herself. It took the Eurasian man by surprise, but got to his feet quickly, looking for Artemis, who had not let go of the girl yet.

"Make this easier, Mud Girl," Mervall grunted as he pulled her, but she tried hard not to follow, and then Artemis felt his grip loosening on her and realized that he couldn't let go again. 

"Let her go, Mud Boy!" The pixie shouted, and regretting this decision, Artemis let go. She looked horrified.

"Artemis!" She screamed as Merv pulled her away from him, looking for something in his pocket with his free hand. He found it within seconds. She was about to get an injection. Artemis dared to turn around for a second and saw No1 also being pulled, but Scant took out a similar object to his brother's, and shot the little warlock in the arm. No1 looked like he was in pain the instant the liquid ran through his system,but his eyes drooped until he was unconscious, looking as if he were dead. He fell limply to the floor, and was dragged by the small pixie like a ragged doll. The Irish boy turned back to see what happened to the teen girl and saw that she had gotten injected too, but the pain No1 felt was worse in Alison's system because she was a human, and she yelled in agony, her eyes streaming in tears of pain, but the magic in her was being controlled by her even in those conditions. The boy looked at her in pain also, and his nails dug into his palms until he felt small cuts in his hands, bleeding freshly. He wanted to shout out that he was with her, that nobody would lay a hand upon her, but it was late, and now she was getting hurt.

"ALI!" He shouted.

_Don't act, boy, _he thought, anxiety creeping up his mind. _It might mess up the plan._ He was suddenly furious with himself. _The plan! That's all?_ he said furiously to himself. _I don't care about that! I don't want to see her hurt! NO!_

Merv, seeing that Alison's system was still functioning and that she couldn't go nighty-night, inserted another shot to her, and instead of working, it worsened and now she was yelling worse than before, her body falling to the floor, shaking. Artemis thought she might die in pain if this didn't stop happening, and decided he was going to hurt Opal with his own hands. He made his way towards her, but a pair of hands seized him.

"Artemis, don't mess up now!" Holly whispered in his ear. "Deal with Koboi later."

"No."

"Artemis..."

"Let go!" He battled with her for a moment and noticed that she was right. He made his way towards Alison, who was still yelling, and he knelt beside her. 

"Ali, be strong..." He said, his hands shaking in fury. He kept looking at her, until he could've sworn he saw a small, malicious smile forming about her lips, and her eyes opened a fraction on an inch, and she winked. Artemis almost fainted in surprise. This girl was an amazing actress, and she writhed in pain with such simplicity that Artemis could've never achieved. He almost smiled at her, but went back to his role of angry Artemis. Opal spoke to him.

"Any last words before the girl cracks up?" She asked in a sickenly sweet voice. He didn't answer.

"Look at me when I'm talking!" She screeched.

Artemis turned around, shaking his head, fake tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't hurt her. Please." 

Opal laughed shrilly. "I'm afraid it's not up to you what happens to her, but to me, and death is first on my list."

"How can you be so heartless!" Juliet yelled from across the room, making sure that the rebels where still locked up, looking shocked. "What has she done to you?"

Opla thought. "You really want to know? _You really want to know?" _Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "She's the one that makes Artemis Fowl happy, the one that makes him smile now, the one that makes him forget about his sadness. The only way I can destroy him is destroying his greatest treasure: little Alison." He looked at the girl, who tried to calm down, the 'internal pain' fading away slowly, and she looked sadly at Opal until her eyes closed. Artemis took her hand, and it felt cold. He actually wondered if it had caused her damage for real or she was just pretending now. Out of the unexpected, he felt Ali's hand slipping aways from his own, hitting the cold floor with a soft thud. And she was silent.

"Alison..." He said, and the room fell silent, except for Opal snickering.

"Oh, quit wasting my time, Artemis Fowl." She frowned, and then glared at the Brills. "Quit standing there and take those two!"

Both went back to their task and Merv neared Artemis again. He looked at the creature in the eyes, and Artemis noticed that he regretted working for Opal, but he just couldn't get out of this mess. Mervall looked at him, then at Alison and took her hands gently, pulling her towards Opal, while Scant carried No1 in his arms. When both made it back to the evil pixie, she spoke up.

"Let's see how crazy you are, Arty. How much you'd risk your life to help others."

Artemis glared daggers at her. Holly took his hand.

"I can't forget about you, Holly!" Opal announced.

"Bet you can't." She hissed.

She ignored her tone. "Would you mind if I exposed our world by using this little warlock?" A manicured hand was pointed directly at No1.

Holly's face drained of all color. "You wouldn't do it, Opal. Not enough guts."

"That's where you're mistaken," She said theatrically. "You see, there isn't anything I wouldn't do anymore. I don't care what the costs are, as long as all of you are dead." She looked at the clock that hung on a nearby wall. "You are definetely wasting my time!"

"You also think that killing is a waste of time?" Artemis asked her fiercely, wiping away his tears. She shrugged.

"If it were such a waste of time I wouldn't be doing this just for the fun of it. It makes me happy watching those I hate suffer like I did..." She paused for a second to catch some breath, and looked down at the twins. "Release the gas bombs!"

Both, somewhat reluntanctly, took out two similar spheres with a small screen and a pink button (Red is such a common color for dangerous things, so why not pink?). Both Brills hesitated for a second until, at the same time, they pressed the pink button, and numbers appeared... A countdown of thirty seconds!

"Adios, Artemis Fowl and Holly Short." Koboi cackled, and with the help of the twins, lifted Alison and No1 into her Hoverboy, along with her 'slaves' and flew into the night. Holly made sure she was out of earshot before he spoke.

"Bomb?" She looked at Artemis, who knelt beside it and looked at it quickly.

"Not an explosive gas, but it'll merely knock us out for-" He began, but stopped and his face whitened slightly as the spheres opened and began to release fierce squibs of gas until it filled the whole room. Artemis heard people coughing and someone yell his name, but at the moment he breathed in the gas, he felt internal pain and he was forced to fall on his knees, and he held his head. He was feeling dizzy, and then he fell again, feeling like he had been tackled, until he saw darkness and realized he had closed his eyes. His hearing was being distortioned until he heard nothing at all, but one thought kept him aware of his surroundings. More pain. Then nothing.

"Artemis!" 

No answer.

"Artemis, please wake up!"

He felt drowsy, he couldn't open his eyes, but some inner strength forced him to open them instantly the second time he heard his name. He sat up, alarmed, and saw that most of them were already awake, looking a bit dizzy.

"How long was I out?" He asked weakly. Butler answered him.

"Nearly thirty minutes." He said worried. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Small headache, but nothing the healing can't control," He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. "But I wonder why it didn't heal the instant I breathed that in... We can't lose any more time, I need to contact Foaly right now." He looked at Holly, who had a communicator. She turned it on, and passed it on to Artemis.

"How are things going, Artemis?" He asked hurried. Artemis told him.

"Whoa, I didn't think Opal would get to murder this soon!"

"Well, apparently, she's crazed up already, but let's worry abour that later, we need a shuttle to Mexico City as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

"Yes, and get to the place where you found No1 now, there's one waiting for all of you since twenty minutes ago." 

Artemis was stunned. "And you bother to tell us that when we could've used all this passed time trying to save both of them?!"

"I- sorry about that, but I was enjoying this a bit, it's far better than any soap opera I have ever seen, but," He could tell that Artemis was fuming. "I got that shuttle there especially for you guys, so you better get going." 

"And Opal?" He asked. "Is she in Mexico City now?"

"Just arrived there about five minutes ago, according to Alison's iris cam,"

"Okay, let's get going, thanks Foaly, but no thanks for delaying us."

"But you were unconscious!"

"Forget about that-" But Foaly interrupted him.

"Anything else?"

"Don't let Alison go, I know what you feel for her, and don't let that idiotic pixie lay a hand on her."

Artemis calmed down. "Nobody won't, trust me." Then he told him farewell, stood up, and looked at his companions. "Shall we?" All nodded, except Minerva.

"How can there be a shuttle where you found No1 and one in Islas Mujeres?"

"Minnie, do you think it's the right time to wonder about that?" Greg asked her, but Holly responded.

"He's right, but it wouldn't hurt to answer you quickly," She sighed as Artemis led the way outside, not looking at the other people that were left outside stunned and sleeping on the floor. "The original chute is in Islas Mujeres, but thanks to Foaly, another landing bay was created as a shortcut to Cancún, and besides, nobody really knows about that one."

"Oh," She breathed and turned to look at the Irish genius. "Artemis, can we run instead of walk? It's taking longer!" 

Artemis was stunned. Minerva wasn't the type to run either.

"Suit yourself." And he began to run as fast as he could towards the trees as he crossed the sandy beach, the others behind his wake. Artemis thought he would start to sweat, but surprinsingly, he didn't.

"That's more like it!" Greg yelled at him. "Go get 'em, genie!"

Artemis grinned. "Only Alison calls me that."

It took them ten minutes to find the fallen branch and the dried up blood, and a further five minutes to find the shuttle, which had been found by Holly. All of them boarded it in a fast fashion, and got strapped up while Holly started the engines up. Artemis sat in the copilot's seat. 

"Are we ready, Holly?"

"Just about, I need Foaly's signal so no human can see us."

Artemis tutted and waited for Foaly's voice to emerge from the speakers, and it did after a minutes, and it sounded as if he were next to them. Amazing audio quality, the teen thought.

"Okay Holls," He spoke. "There's a Boeing above you guys, and it might interfere right now, but wait ten second till it's outta range."

"Uh-huh. Any live feed from Ali's cam?" Holly asked. Artemis sat up straight.

"Right now, Opal's being threatening, so she can't risk being awake, or she's dead, but she's opening her eyes a fraction every second, and I can make out the space now," Foaly whinied. "Artemis, you got a really brave and smart girl out there."

He smiled. "Focus, Mr. Foaly."

"Whatever... Holly, ready to go!"

"Finally!" She cracked her knuckles. "Boys and girls, hold on to your seats, we might break a few speed limits!"

"Is that necessary Holl-" Artemis began, but was cut oof short as the shuttle began to move with so much force that he could barely move his mouth. He saw nothing but darkness and magma out the small window.

"It is, Artemis, or don't you want to get Alison and No1?" Holly roared over the motor. Artemis gave out his vampire smile and looked out the window again for a second.

"Can you go any faster?" Artemis shouted, looking back at her.

"You read my mind!" Holly said, and the shuttle moved forward even faster than before and they could only see blurs of magma and rock.

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**Ta da! That was chapter 12! So what do you all think of it? I thought it was okay**** (Mainly because I forced Artemis to dance and run again), but I would really like to hear –or more accurately, read- your opinions so I can think of what modifications I can do with it so you will enjoy it at its fullest. Will you at least try and give me some ideas you want to see in the future chapters? **

**So faithful readers, I might have to make you wait again for the next chapter because my homework turned out to be dreadful: I have to write two other stories related to the museums I will visit,**** answer questions about it, do a representation of **_**Don Quixote**_** for Literature, and finish a painting with oils... or maybe just plain waterpaint. Yes, that was my excuse and I do hope THAT YOU DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS STORY, I always mention this, but I still want readers to keep up with this. **

_**PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO RATE AND REVIEW**_

**PS. I hope all of you have a great vacation! °w°**


	13. Chapter 13: The Castle and the Angel

Yeah! i'm back!! Sorry it took a while to get this going, but the pressure is over and now i'm back to write more and if you all noticed, this chappie is replacing the original chapter 13... I think this one is better

PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW!!

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**Chapter 13: Beloved and dangerous Mexico**

"Alright, it wasn't a good idea to go that fast," Artemis gasped as he got out of the shuttle. He was dizzy again. But then again, who wasn't if they were going at a fast speed during half an hour? It had been nearly an hour since Alison and N°1 got kidnapped, and Artemis was feeling a bit worried now.

"Good point, though it could've gone faster." Holly laughed as the rest got out.

While Artemis waited (Butler took a while), he took a glance at his surroundings. He was hidden by the shade of buildings, and he looked behind him; A great castle loomed over them.

"We're in the Castle of Chapultepec," He noted, and sure enough, the castle was at everyone's sight. At Artemis's left was the ticket-entrance, and a snake-like path of concrete that led to the other main attractions of the Chapultepec Forest. "Alright, the city is divided in sections that lead to the Angel, such as the Chapultepec Zoo, the National Museum of Anthropology, the lake, among other things, so in other words, she can be anywhere at the moment, if we take the Angel out of the equation for a moment."

Minerva stepped forward. "Shall we, Artemis? Lull her into a false sense of security that we're already on her tail?"

Artemis nodded. "The quicker, the better, I suspect she's looking for us." Then he groaned as he looked to the front.

"What?" Greg said, exasperated.

He pointed to the path that lead directly to the center of the forest, and it was downhill.

Juliet grinned. "What? Arty doesn't want to run again?"

"Please refrain yourself from calling me that," He said patiently. "And I don't mind running, I just meant that it'll take us a while to reach down, and we'll lose our breaths, therefore our energies."

"Stuff it, Arty," Mulch spoke up. He had been checking out the territory and the soil while the others spoke. "Get going, I need to fulfill my part."

The teen looked at him quizically. "Anything wrong?"

"No, we just need to get this over with."

"You're right." Artemis fixed his shirt. "Let's go inside the castle for a moment..."

"It's not the moment to study history, Artemis," Minerva chided, hands on her hips.

Artemis cocked a thin eyebrow. "I wanted to visit the exhibition in a certain part of the castle that belonged to Porfirio Diaz and Maximilian of Habsburg, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire..."

"Yeah, I don't care if it belonged to Maximilian of _Habsburg..._" Holly hissed. It seemed apparent that the word _Habsburg_ reminded her of _Hamburg_.

"As to _why?_" Greg asked. "What do you have in mind? Observe stuff from a period of time that happened tons of years ago or save Ali and N°1 that live in your present?"

"Why, Gregory," Artemis said in a dramatic voice. "What you say is touching, but noticed or not, those two exhibitions, behind the glass windows, are in the back part of the castle,"

"So what? Artemis, we really don't have time for this!" Holly said hastily.

"And in the back part of the castle, you can view the whole city itself, including the _Angel of Independence._" Artemis finished patienly, as if there had been no interruption.

"Oh..."

"Would you all care to follow?" Artemis said once more, leading the way into the entrance.

All followed, somewhat surprised and a bit anxious.

A trip around the creaky stairs later, the young Irish boy and his company appeared on an elegantly, long corridor from the upper part of the castle, which happened to be the ceiling, and for that, they gave a left turn and saw something breathtakenly beautiful: A garden. Ignoring the rooms that belonged to the emperor and his wife, Artemis stepped on the floor embedded with concrete and careful as to not step into any colorful flower, until he stood in the middle of it, and then he looked upwards; There was an ocean of stars raining above him, and he felt a small pang inside him; The largest city in the world was now dark, and for one night, the sight could be appreciated without contamination flowing before him, and for an instance, he felt the pain the fairies must've felt when they left the surface. While the moon bathed him, a spasm of a memory flowed over him as he saw the constellation Virgo next to Leo. He then remembered the night he met Ali and his thoughts while flying over the Atalntic ocean.

"Ali..." he whispered so softly that even the wind couldn't have heard it. Then he smiled a small grin and breathed in the only small patch of air that seemed fresh thanks to the flowers. Then Artemis woke from his stupor as he heard Juliet Butler talking.

"... A garden in the ceiling. How _classy_."

Then somebody spoke into his ear. "Hey, Fowl, wake up. You'll have time to pick some flowers for Ali later, but first we need to get her."

He shook his head softly. "Yes, of course."

The young teenage boy walked across the garden, and headed towards one of the balconies which was surrounded by bullet-proof glass. What he saw made him gasp but out of surprisement. From there he could see all of the city, and of course, he knew it was the biggest city in the world, no matter if there wasn't any light, but he completely understood why. He could see the whole Chapultepec Forest and suddenly, his brain translated what _Chapultepec_ meant, which was surprising because he wasn't fluent in Nahuatl, but then again, he might've picked it up during his Internet trawls or the fairies' gift of tongues. It meant _The Grasshoper's Hill,_ and he also realized they were on the hill. Spectacular.

From far away he also made out what seemed to be the Chapultepec Zoo, apparently one of the best in the world, and then he took a few steps to his side and he made out the lake also, the moon being reflected on it. Looking back, he saw the Angel, looking small in comparison to the other buildings, specially the _Latinoamericana_ building, the highest in the city, and one of the most important. For some reason, the only lights on were the ones that surrounded the Angel's structure, but not only was it glowing gold, but also with a shimmer of blue, the same shade as a fairy's magic. It slightly worried Artemis for a second and made a cold shiver run through him... Then something caught his eyes; The moon that shone over him mere moments ago dissapeared, hidden behind dark clouds, and it left them in total darkness, the only source of light coming from the Angel. He then felt something gently touch his shoulder.

"Artemis," Butler's voice said, issuing from behind him. "We need to get going. And besides," He cleared his throat. "I don't get a good feeling about this place. My instinct tells me it's a trap."

"He's right," Holly responded next. "It's her style."

"And the quietness that it produces, i" Minerva whispered. "Doesn't anyone get the feeling of being observed?

"So many historic things have happened here, so many wars, arguments and betrayals over power... It is a reason as to why you all feel that sentiment of being uncomfortable, but..." He thought for a minute. "You're right, We better leave before anything happens."

And Gregory turned around for a moment and he suddenly turned more serious than ever. "Guys..."

"What is it?"

"Did any of you notice that little red light flashing at that corner?" He said, pointing to a right corner, and certainly, it was beeping.

"D'arvit!" Holly whispered.

"It's a camera." Artemis whispered, and then the beeping went even faster than it was before, and only ten seconds earlier did Artemis realize what it was.

No1 woke up, and looked into his surroundings. White. All over. He groaned for two reasons. One, because he was feeling all drowsy and dizzy due to the shot given earlier by that pixie, and secondly, he was being held hostage again. Did people think he was hostage-able? He looked around again, and saw a second presence beside him. It was Alison, who was wide awake, but looking shaken, her beautiful dress actually torn and dirty now.

"How're you feeling?" She asked quietly, not moving her lips as much.

He looked startled. "Alright, but why are you-" He looked above her, and noticed a slight shimmer. He looked back at her, and rather knowingly look in her eyes. _Get it now?_ She mouthed. He nodded.

They didn't say anything for another ten minutes until the door to the room opened, and the two pixies and Opal appeared. She snapped her fingers and the Brills took Alison by the arms and hauled her away from the small demon. Opal looked up at the girl, and then she slapped her. Alison didn't respond, but a cold look was forming on her face, a trickle of blood rolling from the corners of her lips.

"Take her to the other cell."

The twins nodded, and gently took her, but they didn't notice that she was busy observing the place carefully. In fact, no one did.

XxX

"It's a bomb!" Artemis yelled.

Everyone looked shocked, their faces paling quickly, looking even whiter than a skull.

"Holy sh-" Gregory began, but he didn't finish that particular swear phrase as he got pulled by Butler by the collar of his t-shirt and all made a run for it. They could all hear the beeping going quicker and quicker, and Holly dared to turn around, and taking out her gun from its holster, she aimed her Neutrino at the camera, and a single shot came out. Sadly, this was a drastic mistake due because it made the beeping and flashing go even faster. Holly looked hopeless for a second until Butler yelled at her. They only had a minute to escape.

"Holly! Quick!" He yelled, and after seeing what the Neutrino had done with the camara, and then he turned hopelessly around searching for Artemis. Thankfully, Artemis was safe for, now, and the Irish boy pulled Minerva by the hand, her dress swaying violently along her wake-

"Hurry! It'll blow in any second!" He yelled behind his shoulder, as they all made it past the entrance to the superior part of the castle.

"You think, Mud Whelp?!" Mulch yelled behind him. "Just be a good boy and run for it!"

"Less of the talk, how about that?" Minerva chided shrilly. "Let's go- ahh!"

"No!-"

Both Artemis and Minerva went flying over the stairs of the entrance, and since it was dark, it was the main reason Artemis hadn't foreseen this, causing Minerva to join him in the painful fall. The two genii rolled over the stairs and with a rather loud _thud_ they ended in front of the statues of the lions coated in gold.

Artemis gently opened his eyes, trying to remember how he fell, and saw golden locks in front of him; Minerva was on top of him.

"Oh..." Artemis groaned. "Minerva, are you alright?"

"Hmm..." She shook her head softly, and then she looked at him and their eyes locked. Artemis was the first to respond.

"Minerva?"

She kept looking at him, but then she stood up quickly, and then helped him up his feet. "Yes, yes, let's go."

"Are you alright? Both of you?" Finally the rest had come running to their aid, and pulled them once more, and ran again while they answered.

"Yes! We're fine!" Artemis responded testily. "Rather this than dying!"

As if on cue, they heard a shrill sound coming from the garden, as if it were an alarm, and a sudden _boom _was heard, fierce red and orange flames erupting, spreading quickly to where they were, and a sudden blue light emerged, flying around them. Artemis knew of the danger his friends were facing, but couldn't help admire this; It was a small combination between a bio bomb and a human manufactured bomb. Interesting, he thought, but not as much when he remembered what a bio bomb did. All they could do was rely on their feet to save them. And they did.

"Keep running and don't stop!" Artemis yelled, looking above his shoulder. He suddenly got nervous as he saw the blue ray of light reach them quickly. He didn't know what to do; He was panicking.

Finally, they managed to reach the entrance and pass the golden lions on the main stairs. They still had too mucho to go to get to the lower structure of the Chapultepec forest, but run they did.

"Guys, we're not gonna make it!" Gregory yelled, running as fast as he could.

"Oh yes we are!" Juliet responded, a maniatic smile drawns on her face, as if she wasn't terrified that a bio bomb might end her young life.

Then, out of nowhere, Artemis felt a giant force propell him foward, throwing him as if he were a ragged doll several feet aways from the castle, landing face down on the concrete floor which was leading a downgoing, spiraled-shape path. He then heard other loud thuds hit the floor, only to see Minerva, Greg, Mulch and Holly lying on the floor, some of them with a heavy nosebleed or other with several scratches and torn-up pieces of cloth. For Artemis, it was all of those things. He got up, staggering a bit, and helped his friends quickly, but again, he didn't have time for that as the same force that had thrown him into the air got a sudden hold of him, and out from the corner of his eyes, he saw Butler picking up Minerva, and the French girl looked small and weak under his grasp... while Juliet did the same with the remaining people and creatures. Artemis realized that Butler had just saved their lives, and the Irish boy felt some kind of emotion arise in him, thanking Butler for being with him, always behind his hide, caring for him... for being a friend, brother and second father... Then Artemis, aware of the danger they were in, decided to say what he had been thinking of ever since he came back from Hybras.

"Butler..." He managed to say, trying to look up at his old friend. "You've always been there, next to me... I- I don't think I'm ready to be without a bodyguard; I don't want to be alone without you, loyal friend... I'd always thought we'd die together, as bodyguard and Principal, as friends... perhaps in some adventure, but knowing you'd be beside me, taking care of me... What I'm-"

"We can talk about this later, Artemis," He heard Butler respond calmly, and Artemis could've sworn he saw a small tear and the glimpse of a smile forming on Butler's mouth. He seemed to have understood what he tried to say.

It seemed odd for Artemis that the bomb hadn't spread far, so it made him suspect that there might be a booby trap set for them when they go out of the Castle's range, but nothing whatsoever happened. The bomb only reached sevety-five feet and by the time the whole group got out of that range, the blue light began to dissolve slowly, leaving a faint red and green.

"Butler, stop running; the danger has passed." Artemis said calmly after minutes of anguish and being in Butler's arms. He seemed to hesitate for a minute.

"Trust me, old friend, we're fine here..."

Butler did as he was told, smiling at the young boy briefly. All of the people looked at the scene they had witnessed moments earlier, and the Castle seemed intact, an eerie green light glowing inside a ring of fiery red. Then, it dissapeared.

"We're safe for now."

"Where is here, exactly?" Holly asked, getting back to her feet, taking a look into her surroundings, which was rather useless because she was bathed in darkness. She tried to look at Artemis, who seemed to be shaking dust from his vampire suit. He looked up, the stars reflecting beautifully on his sapphire eyes. He remained quiet for a moment.

"It appears we made it to the famous monuments to the _Niños Heroes_... which never existed." Artemis sighed. "Though this country is historic and rich in it, there are some gaps that had to be filled in with nothing but lies such as the monuments..." His slender finger rose and pointed to six large statues in white marbel which standed behind him. "Created for six teenagers that never existed, and many people think they fought during the Mexican-American war... Interesting, isn't it?"

"_Oui..._" Minerva said lowly. "The world is filled with nothing but lies... pain, horror, and trying to cover that up... what a pity."

"Wow..." Mulch whistled, and it was the first time they had heard him speak up ever since they arrived in the castle. "Are you telling me that this country has wasted centuries into making up excuses for future generations? Poor fellas, they have all been living in lies."

"Hmm... no wonder Ali hates taking Mexican History," Juliet wondered out loud.

Artemis the Second looked at the statues for a minute, and then the path in front of them; That path leaded to the end of the forest, and directly into the dark highway, where they could see the Angel many feet away, the electric blue light shining a bit brighter than before.

_What is Opal planning to do with that? _Artemis wondered. _It better not hurt Ali or... or..._

"Let's go; Our challenge is about to start." He said defiantly, looking at the highway unfolding in front of him.

The Monument to the Independence, or commonly known as the Angel in Mexico, inaugurated in September 16th, 1910, was created to celebrate the centenary of the Mexican fight for Independence from Spain. The Angel itself, coated in gold, reaches to a height of seven meters, while the whole object, including the pedestal it stands on, reaches thirty-seven meters tall. In the bottom structure, where the characters are now, are the statues of Jose Maria Morelos, Vicente Guerrero, Fransisco Javier Mina, and Nicolas Bravo, whose bodies rest in their crypts, along with the head of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, known as the Father of the Independence, who was beheaded after he began the fight for revolution. For some it is a proud object in historical Mexico.

"My, this is a marvel of a monument," Artemis whispered, running a slender finger along the statue of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, whose determined face loomed over him. The Irish boy couldn't help admiring how beautiful it looked at night. "And its history."

"A marvel, maybe, but it won't be very soon unless you're all done drooling over it." Butler snapped. Artemis looked at him.

"Appreciate the sight, Butler, we haven't forgotten our mission."

Minerva shook herself. "He's right, a second wasted means sacrificing both of them."

Greg walked up to Artemis, and looked at him with seriousness drawn on his face. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Artemis looked at him with the same stare, only with a touch of nervousness in his sapphire-blue eyes, including the one covered by the contact. "This plan was a bit impulsive, but we can't back up now." He looked around, turning away from him, trying to change the subject. "Where's Mulch? Is he trying to fire up his gold fettish once more?" He only said that to distract himself for what was in store now: Phase one.

"In position, Mud Boy, not having an ounce of an idea of what you meant by that." A laughing Mulch yelled behind a small bush. Artemis sighed and turned to his friends.

"Minerva, Gregory, position yourselves where I told you; Butler, near the entrance of Mulch's hole after we're in; Juliet, hide near a statue and make your way towards Minerva and Greg after our _friends _come out; Holly, be ready when needed, and watch for Minerva and Greg, they'll motion you for the next move. Good luck to all of you."

The boy smiled at them and began to walk away towards Mulch's direction, but Butler's voice stopped him.

"Artemis, please be careful, many lives are in our hands, including yours."

He halted. Not only did that surprise him when he said it like that, but it usually added pressure. He faced him once more. "I know, which is why I'm doing this." And he turned his face away from them, and began to walk, dissapearing in the shadows of the very few trees.

Artemis walked, not even turning to look at both sides of the road (There where no people in the city.), and then stepped into the sidewalk, and made his way towards Mulch, wondering if he was doing right into risking his life now, but the dwarf's lovely voice interrupted him.

"No time to fall apart, Mud Whelp." He said and he began to unbutton his bottom flap.

He scowled. "You're right, there's no time. Let's get this over with."

Mulch grinned. This was what he was born to do: Dig, dig, and maybe steal, but that was in the past now. He dived into the not-so-clean earth (It was due to contamination and _smog_), and when he felt the soil in his mouth, he almost gagged because it tasted wrongly in his mouth, but it began to ricochet from his other end. Artemis saw this and quickly moved aside.

"Mulch, watch where you're pointing at!" He yelled, falling. He heard the dwarf chuckle.

"I haven't done this in a while, no matter if this tastes horribly!" He heard him, his voice sounding faint. He continued to say other things, but they weren't understandable due to the fact that his mouth was busy, and he was digging farther and farther. Artemis decided to not get up, and remained seated in the grass, waiting for his companion. After ten minutes, Mulch's head poked from the hole.

"Ready to go, Arty." He said, a happy grin on his face. Artemis stood up, and as Mulch dived in the earth again, the boy made sure to keep away at a distance, and kneeled at the foot of the whole, and began to crawl.

"How much time?" Minerva asked as they hid behind a statue, but Greg put her behind him, protecting her from anyone's reach, and watched for anything along their way.

"I'd say ten minutes." Holly said, cocking her Neutrino, and positioning herself.

Greg turned to look at her. "Maybe less than that, Holly. Mulch and Artemis are in."

"Can you see Juliet?"

"Yeah- dammit, someone's coming!"

"Human?" Holly asked. Greg glared at her. "I'll go mesmer the human, you two stay here and don't move!"

Juliet Butler peeked to see what the others where doing, and saw Greg poking his head also, so she just looked at him and nodded. She crouched low, and flexed her digits. She wouldn't be punching anyone right now, but if a pixie came out looking, Ms. Fist would be introduced to it, but for now, she's quiet. With Artemis, she knew she'd never be bored, even if she was feeling a bit at this moment, but she tried to think that this assignement was not for her amusement, but for Artemis's sake of being happy once he was with Ali. Juliet knew those two might be something even more that just friends after tonight, but if it didn't, she'd make sure it did happen before departing. She felt like being Cupid in the group if neither of them didn't pluck up the courage to ask. Don't forget that like a Fowl, when a Butler wants something to happen, it happens. She went back to her task of keeping an eye around.

"Are we there, Mulch?" Artemis asked yet again. He couldn't stand the foul smell coming from the dwarf anymore, but then again, no one can. "Try going a bit faster."

"Whatcha think I'm doing?" He said, and Artemis wished he hadn't spoken. He began to burrow faster, sprinkling Artemis with soil.

"How about that?" He said maliciously. Artemis rolled his eyes.

Another five minutes passed, and finally did both of them see light. Mulch got out and helped Artemis to get on his feet, and then did Mulch give Artemis a salute.

"Well, I've done my part."

"And you've done very well, thank you." Artemis looked over his shoulder. "You better get going, and tell Butler I'll be fine; He must be worried."

Diggums got in his hole, giving Artemis one last look before he dissapeared.

The Irish boy turned around and looke at his surroundings. White. This color gave him some chills for some reason, but he ignored them, and walked towards a corner, where he hid in the shadows, and looked for cameras. None, so far, unless... Yes, in a second he spotted a slight haze that followed him around. Perfect.

Artemis moved from his spot, and saw some stairs that led to the cells. It'd be a perfect spot for a surprise attack, so he cautiously headed upwards, not bothering to be noisy.

_Come on,_ he thought as he neared the end, seeing another staircase and a small hallway. _What's taking you so long?_

That question was answered instantly as he saw the twins scurry to the hole created by the dwarf, who hopefully had made it out quickly. Artemis crouched to his knees, and crawled to a blind spot behind the stairs, and poked his head until he was sure the Brills were out of earshot. Things were going according to what he predicted so far.

He got out of his hiding spot and continued his trudge on the stairs, in a quick pace, until he stopped on his tracks, looking surprised. Right in front of him was a holographic version of his archenemy, looking haughty, annoyed, and downright evil in front of a glass door, protected with infrared light. It opened its mouth.

"What's the square root of pi?" It asked shrilly. "Five, four..."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "You've got to be joking..." He breathed quietly. Over dramatic as usual. He thought in less than a second. "1.7724538."

"Random question!" It squealed. "What is the title of the seventh Harry Potter book in Spanish?"

Artemis looked perplexed. Harry Potter? In fact, he never bothered to read the books, let alone, it was the first time he heard of them! He decided to take a chance and tried to remember all the titles Ali had shown him about those books. Artemis hastened a sigh, almost frowning; Ali was in love with Harry Potter, and she always reminded him that Potter was 'total awesomeness', which made him look coldly at the objects. "Well..._ Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte_?"

"Not bad. Password?"

Artemis was about to lose his patience bigtime, but he answered her, not deciding to think about it. "I will kill Artemis Fowl and Holly Short."

The hologram dissapeared, and all the mechanisms dissapeared, and he kept on his trudge, but then did the show begin: The real Opal Koboi was in front of him, smiling evilly.

"Welcome, Artemis Fowl."

Artemis was surprised. He hadn't expected to see her this quickly, but quietly, he thanked her for doing so. He opened his eyes wide as to look innocent, and bit his bottom lip to add the effect. She sneered at him.

"Don't bother with the charades... Take him!" She screamed, waiting for the response of her servants, but no one appreared. She swore. "Why do I always have to end up doing this?"

Artemis decided to answer her with a witty comment as she pulled him fiercely, and he felt her manicured nails digging through his shirt. "So many answers I have to that..."

She felt like clawing her nails even deeper. "Good for you. Little Alison will be the last one to hear them." She suddenly halted as they neared what seemed to be an elevator. She pressed a fuschia-colored button (A/N: Sorry, but like it or not, I have the feeling Opal really likes pink) Artemis sighed.

"An elevator in a national monument? Sad... How many modifications have you made here?"

She pushed him in, and thinking it'd be appropiate, he let himself fall on the floor. "I will bother to answer that: So many, just for you and Holly."

Artemis glared at her, not standing up yet. "Real treat. I hope there's enough left for you."

Koboi looked daggers at him, and punched him on the nose with all her might. Explosion time for her. She pulled Artemis by the front of his collar until they were nose to bleeding nose. "You really don't want to mess with me right now, Fowl, or I'll kill you with my two hands. I don't care if I get dirty, but I will do it." She let go of him and pinned him to the floor with her feet.

Artemis scowled, wiping away the blood from his nose with his sleeve, controlling his magic so it wouldn't act in front of her. She was already insane. He really had to learn not to be sarcastic all the time, no matter if it was part of a scheme. Maybe this plan _was _impulsive.

Suddenly, the shafts opened up and Artemis found himself in Opal's grasp once more, leading him into a while hall, where only one metallic door stood, with a keypad beside it. Opal's fingers traveled around it in a fast pace as she did so. The doors opened and he saw Alison crouching in a corner, looking nervous. Artemis got thrown in, and joined her.

"Have fun while it lasts!" She laughed shrilly,closing the door again.

As soon as she was gone, Artemis looked at Alison carefully. He held her shoulders softly, wiping his blood and making his magic act the healing quickly.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Is it alright to start a conversation now?" She added in a low whisper barely audible. He nodded.

"You've done great. So far, things are going as they are supposed to go. And..."

"Why are you talking about this? It's not exactly safe, and she might be watching over us."

"I know, but she's not paying attention now; She's the one that's working on perfecting even more her plan."

"Right," She sighed. "Mulch made it out?"

"Yes, and the next step goes to Minerva and Greg. We'll be next, as soon as we're out of here."

She actually giggled. Artemis stared at her. "_Que lindo eres..." _

Artemis blushed once more as he had done the past days. She had just said he was cute. Ali noticed his embarassment and kept on talking.

"Sorry, but didn't I tell you that Foaly would be rigging the cameras as soon as I got the code memorized?"

"No. And do tell," He smiled, all embarassment gone. "You managed to memorize a code of forty-five digits?"

"Yep, it's not difficult. There's still some things you don't know about me."

Hmm... She's very intriguing and mysterious, the Irish boy thought. "Why did he make you do that?"

She shrugged. "I think he wanted to test me. But I don't know why. Now, how long before we are rescued?"

Artemis checked his watch. "Fifteen minutes at least... And by the way, great acting you did earlier."

"You have got to stop changing the subject. But thank you for the compliment. And for the late record... I wasn't acting before she took me. I did faint, and felt cold again." She yawned, rubbing her eyes, looking like a ten-year-old. "Theres some stuff I need to tell you but... Goodness, I'm tired. From now on, I am not going to get into any more trouble."

He smiled softly. "Come over here," He said, and she got closer to him, looking a bit confused. "lean on my shoulder and close your eyes. Rest while I'm in charge of watching over. You need some relaxation."

For a genius, he completely forgot about the iris cam she was wearing, unaware of the thought that a smiling centaur was hearing them, along with a hovering elf watching over two teens.

"Thank you." She said, looking at him with ver sleepy, brown eyes, her hands going around his arm, hugging them. And she fell asleep.

"Now that was very sweet of him," Holly whispered in her helmet mike.

"Tell me about it." Snorted the centaur.

"Holly,we're on!" Greg and Minerva whispered after what seemed to be a long time. Ascending from Mulch's hole were the twins. Holly cocked her Neutrino and fired a single shot which caught their attention. They both made their way towards her, running as fast as they could, never noticing that a blond woman jumped in front of them, and rapped both of them hard in their temples, uncosciousness in less than a second.

Juliet Butler looked over her shoulder, and gave the thumbs up towards her brother, hiding with Mulch, and lifted the unconscious pixies into her arms, carrying them towards the other three. Holly checked their states of drowsiness.

"So far, so good. Now Artemis and Alison are out while I go in." She said. She looked at the two teens. "You two be good, and try not to get into any trouble."

Both of them looked too innocent, but obeyed.

"Take care of them, Juliet."

"Got it."

Holly flew towards the place Mulch and Aremis where a few moments ago, but before she reached the spot, she called Foaly.

"Go for it, Foaly." Holly said softly.

"Just watch me reign." He said sarcastically, not noticing the horse analogy. "Okay, Ali just got themselves out, now things are set?"

"Ali? What about Artemis?"

"Didn't I tell you Alison has a odd knack for numbers?"

"No. But I didn't think-"

"She could do it? Well, yeah, she's the typical teenage girl, but like I said, she has an strange talent for numbers. No wonder algebra's her best subject."

"Bet that made Artemis happy." Holly laughed. "I gotta go. Phase two is up."

"It did and good luck."

With those last words, Holly cut Foaly, and dived into the whole, going as fast as she could. She didn't even get a chance to look at Butler and Mulch, who waited impatiently since they had completed their part, well, just Mulch, since Butler had to do the usual watch over all the rest.

"Alison, wake up," Artemis whispered softly, poking her hand gently.

She moaned, looking dreamy. "Five more minutes..."

Artemis resisted the temptation to grin. She was dreaming, no doubt.

"Ali... Please wake up, or I'll be annoyed."

She opened her eyes, looking out blurrily. "No you won't..." She closed her eyes for a second, and hugged him around the chest, as a young girl would while hugging her favorite teddy bear. He was taken aback, but didn't mind. He raised his eyebrows a fraction of a second, and thought that maybe the shot she was given earlier made her sleepy besides weak.

"Unless you want me to wake you up the old fashioned way?" He said softly. She groaned as an answer, as if saying 'What?'.

"Wake you up like a princess with a kiss?" He said clearly, smiling to himself. She sighed and mumbled so lowly that it was barely audible, but it sounded like it had something to do with 'Harry the Bear', some teddy bear that she owned. He held her shin with a slender finger, almost smiling, but he replaced that look to try and scare her a bit.

"Or perhaps you want to receive a mortal kiss from a vampire?" He said, looking at each other face to face, Artemis giving her the famous vampire smile. That seemed to have had the effect because she opened her eyes and shrugged him off quickly and looked at him, her eyes wide.

"I'm awake now. No vampire kisses, please."

"I wasn't going to."

"You took me by surprise. And frightened me for a second. But I'm awake now. Alright then," She said, standing up to her feet, and shook her head, while at the same time she stretched her arms. Rubbing her hands together, she held the spot where a door knob should've been.

"You might want to take a few steps back, Artemis. Trust me, and close your eyes if you want."

Artemis didn't want to close his eyes because he was too curious of what she was about to do. Her eyes were closed and two stray sparks danced from her fingers to the door, suddenly multipying into many gold sparks until Artemis could've sworn that the room was shining. The door suddenly seemed transparent and he saw the mechanism of the door, and the digits being pressed down in order by a solitary gold spark. Suddenly, it opened before them and Alison slumped onto the floor, flexing her digits.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Wait..."

"Is everything in order now?" He asked her gently.

She nodded, and looked up at him, positively beaming.

"Oh yeah, as long as Foaly's the one that opens the mechanisms instead of making me do it. I told him doing this kind of stunt makes me lose energy, but did he listen?..." She got up and wiped some dirt from her dirty dress. How ironic. "Shall we, Artemis?"

"After you, mademoiselle," He said, leading her to go before him. She rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"You can really pick a moment to be nice, but now it's not the time." She pointed out, walking towards the elevator. Artemis caught up with her.

"For your information, it is in my habits that I treat ladies wit respect."

"Maybe, but no one treats me like you do or starts to make a dialogue in French whenever he feels like it. But I am rather enjoying it."

Artemis noticed the slight change in how her conversation was since he joined her, but decided not to say anything until now. "Whatever happened to your slang, Alison?"

She smiled. "Oh, that. It's a habit. I'm more of the slang type, but sometimes I just feel like speaking like an old movie. And people tend to judge me, so I kind of fixed that up.

"How'd we treat you according to your personality and way of taking things in." Artemis nodded. Fabulous, he thought, this girl was planning the introduction somehow before they met.

"Exactly, but I'll be honest, I prefer the other vocabulary; Much more easier, and if I may say so, very expressive. What do you think?"

"I have many responses to that, but I think I prefer the normal, teenage Ali who talks in slang and isn't afraid of speaking up her thoughts."

"Hmm... Can you believe people call me crazy?" She breathed as they neared a left turn, about twenty feet away from them. "That isn't fair, but... You think you can understand me like this?"

"Yes, that and more-" Artemis suddenly stopped himself. He heard a soft thud.

"What is it, Arty?" Ali asked him nervously, still walking.

Artemis heard something or someone coming, getting nearer by the second, his instinct could tell. But apparently, Ali hadn't, so Artemis ran towards her and drapped his arms around her waist to prevent her from turning left.

"What the-" She said flabbergasted at the action Artemis had just done, her hands holding his arms.

"Someone's coming," He hissed softly into her ear, and he thought that she had sighed, and almost giggled.

Alison breathed and thought for a moment, and dared to poke her head, looking towards her left, then looked at Artemis. "Hey, don't worry, everything's going according to plan..."

"Who was it?..." But he didn't need to finish his question as the person that appeared in front of him answered him. It was Holly, who unshielded the moment she saw them, and she raised an eyebrow when he saw Artemis holding Ali's waist.

"What are you two doing?" She said, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips.

Alison was the first one to wake up from the stupor and let go of Artemis, folding her arms, giving her an innocent look, glaring at Artemis for a second since he hadn't let go yet. "Um, nothing at all. Do you really think we have the time to do anything else than be on the run from dear Koboi? What do you think, genie?" She said above her shoulder, nudging him with her elbow. Artemis didn't respond in any way until Ali nudged him again, but a little stronger this time. He cleared his throat and let go of her, his hands going directly into his pockets.

"She's right. For a moment we thought-"

"_You _thought it was somebody else, so you stopped me from going any farther. And I thank you. It might've been Opal for all we know."

"Anytime for a friend." Artemis responded, patting her shoulder.

Holly could only look at them, smiling. She suspected that in any moment their feelings would burst, and maybe, just maybe, tonight would they get together. In some way, Opal was indirectly helping them.

"Hey, you two, let's get going," Holly said, waving her arms to get heir attention. "We need to go get N°1!"

"You make it sound so simple, but it won't be. How fun." Ali said sarcastically.

Artemis grinned. He prefered the happy Ali than the other Ali he saw mere moments ago. Why, he didn't know, but it was probably the fact that she made him laugh easily without a psychology lecture. She was a happy, yet intelligent, teenager... Who said he couldn't get what he wanted?

Opal laughed as soon as she locked the door where she threw Artemis to join his dear future girlfriend... Whoops, she thought happily, they don't have a future! Now that was a good joke, she thought.

Then a chilling thought crept over her. Maybe she was underestimating Artemis now, but she had no idea how badly she was underestimating Alison. That was her one mistake.

Opal decided to head back to the control room instead of going on her scavenger hunt for the twins. She didn't need them anymore as they hadn't turned out to be faithful. She didn't see how Artemis could get out of the cell since it was reinforced with many mechanisms and alarms, and it'd be nearly impossible for that centaur to rig them. Still, she couldn't be positive all the time, but for now, she would have an eye on those two teens.

As soon as she arrived into the control room, which took at least five minutes, she sat in front of the cameras, her eyes never moving from Artemis. At first, Alison and Artemis were muttering so lowly, but it was merely insignificant and pathetic. Artemis was being a sensible person with her, and she napped on his shoulder, hugging him, while Artemis could only look at her, a soft smile playing about his lips.

Opal groaned. That's all they were doing. No pointing out new strategies, or at least a romantic declaration! Nothing at all, and Opal was becoming a bit suspicious now. Surely this was not part of Artemis's plan... It was part of Artemis's emotions, maybe...

She thought for a second. Artemis wasn't like this. He had to lure her somehow into a trap, a trap she couldn't see, but this girl was distracting him... Or was she? Unless he wanted her to think he was somehow luring her along with the girl without Opal knowing it... Then it hit her.

Of course! That damned centaur managed to hack into the controls and put a false video on the cameras, making it look like they were still there when they weren't. Opal shrieked so loudly for such a small pixie. Thwarted again by a lousy Mud Boy! But how on earth did they get out when the mechanism was on the outside? And another truth blasted towards her. The Brills! Those two had gone out to check if things were clear, and they never made it back. It meant that Fowl had positively planted allies in her territory without knowing it! There was no _may_ about it now. Apparently it gave Holly Short a way in to get Artemis, Alison and N°1, and now that they had Alison back, they needed N°1...

Koboi clapped her hands with glee. She could still be a step ahead of those intruders, but she had to get to that small demon before they beat her. It would've been the proper moment for her to run, but feeling that it was the inappropiate action for a 'wannabe' princess, she decided to strut like she owned the place, which literally, was under her control, but nonetheless, she couldn't be more annoying than ever.

**Third floor of the Angel**

"Ali, where's N°1?" Artemis asked rapidly to her, who catched up with him. "Do you remember?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then do lead us!" He cut her off, but she pulled him by the shoulder and faced him.

"No we can't!" She said to him. "Remember those shielded cameras? I don't think she went to visit the golden Angel, she must've thought we'd be up to something, so she went to check on us, but it'd be suspicious that we weren't doing anything at all, especially letting me nap on your shoulder. That's not exactly the Artemis we all know, is it?"

Artemis nodded. Of course it made sense.

"She took a nap on your shoulder?" Holly asked, grinning at both of them.

"Not now, Holly," Artmeis blushed. He turned to Alison again. "So now she knows we're gone, so she's going to find N°1 before we do."

"And she's going directly upwards to lure us and get N°1, thus launching her plan a bit earlier."

Artemis nodded once more. She catched on quickly, and strangely, she didn't seem too nervous, but he did. The so-called dreaded moment of his plan was coming up quickly, but he wasn't sure if he was dreading it any longer. In fact, he may have been looking forward to it, but in an unexpected way.

"You're right. It would lead us to a conclusion that we catch up with her, and work out _our _plan." Artemis said, walking towards the always-mentioned elevator. He pressed that pink button.

"After you, ladies," He said, looking at Holly, then at Alison, who rolled her eyes in a sarcastic manner, and accepted his gesture.

Holly knew that she was being a bad third with these two since they were quiet during the trip to the highest part of the structure... But well, she thought they could wait a few moments longer. Then she heard a voice in her head, but thankfully, it wasn't madness that was talking to her.

"Holly, you might want to say something before these two start kissing each other." Foal said, almost snickering. Holly frowned.

"I seriously doubt it," She said softly. She didn't have to speak loudly because this helmet she was wearing worked on vibrations also, but there was a small danger that her murmurs would be heard. "I think I'm making them feel a bit uncomfortable, and you already saw it; They feel confident when both of them are alone without anyone looking over their backs. So, how's our situation doing?"

He whinnied at the change of subject. This Artemis-and-Alison romance was getting better than anything the centaur had ever seen. "So far, it's going exactly to Arty's instructions, though apparently she's fetching N°1, so that was the slight change, which Alison had foreseen. Sharp, those two are. I take you already improvised?"

"Yes, it's now or never. And Foaly..."

He listened carefully. "What's up, Holly?"

"Thanks for watching over us. There's a real chance this is the last time we'll see the last of her and those evil schemes."

He smiled behind a carton of beetle juice. "You're my friend. That's what they do, don't they? Help each other."

Holly was surprised. She knew Foaly was vain and paranoid, but not grateful and you never heard him say friendly things. In fact, he never said anything of such thing.

"You're right. Look, we're almost there, I'll talk to you later on, but you'll be able to see us."

"Roger that," Foaly grinned. "And do take care of yourself and those two teens in love."

"Gotcha." And she broke off the link, giving her undivided attention to Ali and Artemis, who were looking at anything but each other, thought at different intervals did they turn and look at each other, both smiling when they saw each other.

Maybe Foaly was right, Holly thought to herself. These two will forget about the mission if they keep on like this. She decided to break the silence, but Artemis spoke first.

"Were you communicating with Foaly?" He asked curiously, fixing the collar of his shirt.

"Yes. He recently told me that Opal had gone to fetch N°1, and she's heading towards her goal now..."

Artemis nodded firmly, and Ali just folded her arms and sighed, but it was not a romantic sigh.

"Are both of you nervous?" Holly asked. Both of them turned to look at her.

Artemis answered first, letting out what he felt on the inside now. "I honestly don't know; Some part of me is thrilled of another challenge, but some other part of me is rather nervous of what's about to happen."

"As in-"

"The next step of the scheme, which is giving me doubts now..." And he did. He was a bit agitated now, but there was also a feather-light feeling inside of him that calmed him down. "How about you, Ali?" He turned to look at the girl, who was leaning on the wall, her arms still folded, her eyes glinting. Her appearance was a far cry from the girl Artemis saw come out of her room mere hours ago; She had several scratches in her arms and a small trickle of blood running at the corner of her lips (Opal's slap was rather painful, and so were her nails, which had pierced Ali's skin many times since her abduction), something she didn't bother to heal. Her hair was messy and tangled, the torn dress was even more torn than ever, and the makeup had partially dissapeared, leaving only the mascara scurrying at the corners of her eyes. Strangely for Artemis, she could almost pass a a vampiress, and he himself was surprised. He looked like a vampire, according to people. She looked up at him.

"I think I am scared now... Well, um..." She stopped and thought for a second. "I think I have absolutely no idea what to feel. I'm more excited than scared, and more scared than nervous. But other than that, I'm trying to keep a cool head, not trying to think I might die tonight."

"You and your sense of humor, Ali," Artemis said, a small smile creeping up his lips. She glared at him, unfolding her arms.

"I wasn't joking. You have got to tell the difference between sarcasm and reality." Then her eyes locked on the numbers above the shaft, which were reflected in her dark eyes, and then a small _ding _was heard. "And now you'll know why."

The shafts opened, and once they were out, they adjusted to their surroundings, which was a bit difficult because it was rather dark, the only source of light coming from the corners of what seemed to be-

"A trapdoor." Artemis whispered, his electric-blue eyes reflecting the light from it. The Irish boy heard Holly cock her gun, and Alison's fingers shooting up gold sparks, only to die a few seconds later, but in those seconds, she had provided a bit of light, and he noticed that they were surrounded by metal and limestone, while the trapdoor above was made of wood. He heard one of the females give a sharp intake of breath, and then Holly spoke.

"Shall I, Artemis?"

"Not yet... No pressure, but Opal's gone a bit stir-crazy since she escaped, so I want both of you to be ready for whatever might happen up there. Especially you, Ali."

She didn't say a word. In fact, it was impossible to tell both their expressions when all of them were bathed in darkness, but Artemis's instinct felt tension in the air, along with the the mixture of anger, sadness, and pride with a tinge of determidness.

"That's a way to keep off the pressure," Holly whispered. "And Ali, don't even listen to him, just do what you're supposed to do."

"Uh-huh." It sounded rather high-pitched when she said that. Then she began to breathe deeply once more, and it worried Artemis. Now she was actually scared. Artemis, stumbling along the way, walked up towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder, then embracing her, trying to comfort her. She didn't react, or hold on to him, but rested her head onto his shoulder. She was petrified. The Irish boy had never seen that gesture on her face before.

"Alison, please don't be scared, I don't like to see you like that..." He whispered into her ear, so she could be the only one to hear his words, holding her even tighter but in a tender fashion. "I swear nothing's going to happen to you tonight. I may have said this too many times before, but now it's a promise."

She was quiet for a second, and then she responded, "Stop saying that."

"What?"

"Promise or not, something bad is going to happen, I can feel it... It's comforting and all what you say to me, but it makes me even more nervous, so just keep shut those lips of yours. Some things are better off being quiet. But thanks." She pushed him gently away, and spoke louder, her voice brimmed with passion and courage. "Who's ready for it? I am now."

"That's the spirit, Ali!" Holly exclaimed, patting her shoulder. "Ready, Artemis?"

"More than ever." He said, smiling his vampire smile. "Go ahead Holly, open it up."

Artemis sensed she nodded, and two rather small hands pushed the door upwards gently, about to reveal what they were about to face...

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**Well? Is it good? Are you all liking it? PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW!! Constructive criticism is also accepted!**


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